Close Proximity
by Apathetic Silence
Summary: Collab with: CrAzY-SiLLy-Me AU "If I told you I love you, would you stay?" A small smile came to his face. "Nothing and no one can make me stay Sakura, not even you." Her tears fell. "As for my answer, wait for it." He leaned in. "Wait for me." SasuSaku
1. Rebellion's Stage

_**Apathetic Silence:**__ Collaboration with my cousin._

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me:**__ My name's too long. XD Anyway! Hey guys! Thanks for giving my cousin some support!_

_**Apathetic Silence:**__ Yes, thank you as well for showering my cousin with love… it keeps her motivated to write, and without that motivation, I don't think I'll be here too._

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me:**__ Well then, here's our first ever collab fic! Another Naruto x RO story! We just happen to miss playing the game, and while browsing through old guidebooks in my brothers' room, POOF! Here's the story!_

_**Apathetic Silence**__: In case you're forgetting, this wasn't the original plot. Should I tell them?_

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me:**__ No, not yet. Let them guess. :D Okay, kidding, tell them. This is your account._

_**Apathetic Silence:**__ Arc I's original plot was supposed to be Sasuke being a soldier of Morroc, and was only forced to become an Adventurer (term used to call RO players of all jobs in the game) due to his crush development on Sakura, a Priestess. He knew that in order to meet her again, he must become an Adventurer. They did meet, when he was only a Thief, and she helped him so that he could attain the second job class of his choice: Assassin. They never saw each other again for a while after his job change. When they did meet once more, she didn't recognize him due to the blindfold he wore, and because she didn't know his hairstyle then. When Sasuke was still a Thief, he wore a cap over his head. They met again in Prontera, because Shizune, Sakura's self-proclaimed sister, is the guild mistress of an all Acolyte-class guild and informed Sakura of forming an alliance with Siege Breakers Guild – a guild Naruto forced Sasuke to be the leader of. So the first arc revolved around Sasuke courting Sakura, and her answering him only when he proved his love._

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me:**__ True story, that arc. I'm both the Sasuke and Sakura there, because I didn't originally want to play, but at the same time, when I did play, I went for a female character, and ended up forming a male character too to pair my Priestess with an Assassin. Second arc focused on quests and how their relationship goes as they venture to change their jobs to a higher class – the Transcedent class: High Priest and Assassin Cross. The new plot is this story right here – slightly altered from the main, but given an original twist of the over-all story. The first part below is a sneak peek of arc II._

_**Apathetic Silence:**__ Anyway, read and enjoy. We would very much appreciate constructive reviews/criticisms._

_Credits:  
__Arc I plot, characterization, appearance of characters, details, Original Characters, chapter titles – __**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me  
**__Arc II plot, main twist, specific parts (who's the protagonists or antagonists) of characters, drafts, Original guild names, title – __**Apathetic Silence**_

* * *

"Keep them outside!"

"Move it! Let's go!"

A lot of the guards ran out of the hallway and out of the castle to stop the people who were rebelling from breaking inside the castle.

A young man jumped in from one of the opened windows of the palace, and he stealthily blended with the shadows as he adjusted his ear and mouth piece.

"I'm in." he said.

"Head for the main room, Danzo will be there, thinking no harm will reach him."

"Got it." He answered, and rushed silently towards his destination.

He slowed down when he was near the entrance, and then prepared his weapons, before breaking into the dark room, stopping half-way towards the throne when the lights suddenly switched on.

"I suggest you stay where you are."

He looked up and spotted his target seated on the throne, calm as ever, with a smirk on his lips.

"Unless you want my skilled archers to let their arrows go and hit you."

He looked around and saw more than a dozen archers had their arrows pointed at him, ready to be shot when given the command.

"From the look in your eyes, I'd say you didn't see this coming." He smirked. "What's the point of coming from a clan gifted with the Sharingan eye, eh?"

"Ch."

"Your parents are probably turning in their graves." Danzo shook his head. "An Assassin Cross of your level shouldn't have had a hard time infiltrating the fortress and eliminating the target – but sorry to say that you're caught."

The Assassin narrowed his eyes, dark onyx orbs shifting to Sharingan red. "How?"

"Easy," Danzo snapped his fingers, signaling a human figure come out from behind the throne and step into the light. "You made a mistake that an Assassin should never commit."

As soon as he recognized who had stepped forward, his eyes widened in shock.

Danzo smirked. "The truth hurts, doesn't it, Uchiha Sasuke?"

* * *

**Close Proximity  
**"_**Rebellion's Stage"**_

_A Revolution happens anytime without warning, therefore, a Rebellion's Stage can be anywhere  
__A Riot will not bother to think of when or where, they will only execute what is told of them to do_

* * *

"Stop right there! Stop!!"

He ran as fast as he could as he kept calling and calling for the Novice-level child to stop.

"Come on! Stop it kid!"

"Nyeh nyeh!" The boy stuck his tongue out. "You'll never catch me with the heavy metal armor you have on!"

"Why you son of a-" his irritation turned to delight when the child he was after was stopped by someone. "Yo man! Tha- S-Sasuke?!"

"Hn. Dobe." Sasuke muttered while holding onto the boy who held the two stolen apples in his arms. "What's the point of being entitled to ride a Peco-Peco if you won't even use them?"

The Dobe, whose name was Naruto, just twitched and crossed his arms. "Those birdbrains are out to peck the living daylights out of me."

"Ch. Moron." Sasuke dropped the boy and had him cornered. "This is… what, the fifth time?"

The child looked away, and Sasuke sighed and knelt down on one knee.

"Come on Kishiro, hand it over."

"No!"

"Damn brat!" Naruto yelled, drawing out his sword. "I'm going to-"

"Why is it that whenever I run into you two, there's always trouble?"

The three boys turned to the new arrival, who read an orange book.

"Hey Kashi-sensei!" Naruto greeted with a smile. "You're back too!"

"Hn."

"Sasuke, after three years of training with you, your social skills still suck." Kakashi sighed and turned to Kishiro. "So," he smiled. "Why are you giving Naruto a hard time?"

Kishiro pouted, and then glared at Naruto. "He won't buy me an apple."

"And what about your tanker..?"

"I couldn't find him to tank me, so…"

Sasuke sighed. "I told you I'd pick you up in your house."

"…I forgot."

Kakashi chuckled and knelt down on the floor to be in eye-level with Kishiro. "I know you're aspiring to be an Assassin like your Sasuke-nii here, but since you're still a novice, you're not yet at the Thief level to be allowed to 'steal' for training." he turned to Naruto. "As for you," he gave an innocent smile. "Would it kill you to spend ten zenies for an apple?!"

"Uh… well, I'm saving up some zenies for a new weapon…"

"I'll pay for it." Sasuke mumbled, dragging Kishiro with him to pay the seething old man.

"And you wonder why he has fan girls." Kakashi said to Naruto.

Sasuke soon returned with a happy novice in tow.

"Anyway." Kakashi cleared his throat. "I came back here to remind you of our beloved King Sarutobi's birthday."

"I know." Naruto shrugged.

"Hn." Sasuke turned to the child who grinned sheepishly. "Go home for now, we'll hunt for monsters tomorrow."

"Okay then!" Kishiro thanked him for the apples and bid goodbye before running off.

"Well then, see you guys later!" Kakashi used a fly wing to teleport away, leaving the two teens.

"Teme..!"

"What..?"

Naruto attempted to slap the Assassin (Sin for short) on the back, but Sasuke was able to dodge.

"How could you?! YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO INFORM ME OR SAKURA ABOUT YOUR RETURN!!"

"I was supposed to help Kishiro today, so I didn't think I'd end up seeing you."

"Hmph." The blonde's scowl soon turned to a grin. "So, are you up for a boss hunt?"

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. He may not admit it out loud, but he was looking forward to look for boss monsters with his best friend.

* * *

"Thank you so much for the trouble."

"It was really no problem at all!" the Priestess told the old woman, bowing down once more in respect before leaving behind the package she was told to deliver.

As she increased her agility with her skill in order to enable herself to move faster, she realized that she had forgotten to bring a blue gemstone in order to warp back to town.

"_Great. Now I have to walk."_ She sighed and cast Kyrie Eleison on herself in order to form a barrier to prevent aggressive monsters from hurting her.

She walked down the open field, seemingly unaffected as more and more monsters followed her, trying to hit her yet the barrier she had on herself prevented them from doing so.

Relief flooded her body when she reached the dessert of _Morroc_, meaning that she was getting closer to the town with the same name as the dessert. "Finally." She grinned and rushed to the gates of the town that prevented monsters from entering. She stopped halfway when her eyes caught sight of a huge manta ray like monster which had large eyes and fangs for teeth. The monster was pink all over but with green hair.

"Shit. Phreeoni." She backed away slowly, taking her staff out to prepare herself as a mob of worm-like Hodes moved with the mini-boss monster, acting as minions. _"Don't panic… just survive this and outrun it."_ She breathed in, and then out, afterwards, gave a silent prayer of protection, before narrowing her eyes at the thing. "Kyrie Eleison." First things first; she cast a barrier around her, increased her speed while decreasing the monster's, as well as the defense.

Once she was done, she rushed pass it, but its stupid minions followed her, hitting the barrier around her non-stop until it deactivated, and a strong blow from Phreeoni caused her to fall on her rear and look up at the thing.

"Lord, if this is because I said _shit_, then I'm so sorry!" she shut her eyes, ready to receive the blow.

"Sonic Acceleration!"

Her ears picked up the sound of an Assassin skill which would double the hit of a certain skill.

"Sonic Blow!"

Said skill, which doubled, was directed at the Phreeoni before her, and slowly, she opened her eyes to see the dark-clothed Assassin wearing a fox mask.

"Grand Cross!" Came another attack when a Crusader appeared from behind Phreeoni, riding a Peco-Peco.

"Naruto!" She recognized the Crusader who had a Ramen filled bowl for a hat. Of course, the contents were fake and plastic.

"Hang on Sakura!" he grinned at her and turned to the Assassin. "Damn bastard! Make yourself useful by killing off the Hodes!" he sweat dropped upon seeing the worm-ish monsters already dead.

"You were saying?"

Naruto twitched, cursing when he received a hit from Phreeoni. "Grand Cross!" Being a Grand Cross (GC) Crusader, or some would know as the Vitality-Intelligence (Vit-Int) build, the attack from the monster didn't do much damage. "Hello?! How about a little help?!"

Vitality increased the defense of a person, whereas Intelligence meant more percentage and chances to use skills.

"Hn." The Assassin prepared himself to attack. "Grimtooth!" and he stomped hard on the ground, at the same time swing both of his weapons – katar – down as the ground sent up a line of earth spikes towards the monster.

"Kill it already! I'm an Int-Vit Crusader you teme!"

Sakura just sweat dropped as the two guys killed Phreeoni, with her blonde friend eagerly picking up the loots, while the other one didn't care about it much and was now heading towards her.

She froze, because Assassins are known to be dangerous, emotionless, and cold – save perhaps for Kakashi.

"Don't be scared."

The Priestess' cheeks turned slightly pink as the Assassin pulled off his fox mask and eyed her.

"…_Lord, I'm sorry for this but – Holy fucking shit! THAT'S SASUKE?!"_

Three years ago, when he was only thirteen, she found him cute, but that was it. Now, well, he can be compared to wine; when said drink grows older, it tastes better. For Sasuke, as he grows in age, he looks damn hotter. His bangs back then always hid his face from view, and occasionally, he would part it in the middle. Now, well, it's parted from the right side, just above his right eye, giving anyone a good enough view of his face: same aristocratic nose and dark eyes that she mistook as dark blue once.

He looked at her gaping expression, and he couldn't help but smirk. "You're drooling."

She twitched, and all of a sudden, got her staff out to attempt to hit him.

Sasuke dodged, and she swings her staff again, but he evades once more.

"Damn you!" She yelled, swinging her weapon again, but he caught it, afterwards, pulled the object. Sakura flushed when she felt herself being pulled towards him, and her cheeks turned redder when her face was barely an inch away from his. _"How did Uchiha Sasuke look _this_ good?!"_

"Stop swinging…" and he smirked. "Baphomet."

From behind Sakura, it felt as if her background exploded.

_Baphomet _is a boss monster which people find difficulty in killing due to its strong defenses and attacks. It may be a flattering remark to be compared to one in terms of fighting, but to be told that because of your actions or appearance would be an insult – and Sakura knew that Sasuke called her that not as a compliment but an offense.

After all, Baphomets are large ram-like monsters with human hands. They stand on their hind legs and carry a death scythe. A Baphomet travels with smaller versions of themselves – pretty much sons – and are called Baphomet Junior. The little critters may be kept as pets, though are very hard to catch or tame, and are also very expensive when sold in markets.

"DIE SASUKE!!" She swung her staff, and again, he dodged, and Naruto ended up receiving the attack.

* * *

"Hmph." Sakura crossed her arms and walked on ahead as the two boys followed behind, one with a big lump on his head, while the other had his fox mask at the side of his noggin.

"Hn. You're welcome."

Sakura twitched and tried to ignore her long, lost friend. _"Who has grown a lot! Where the hell did those abs and muscles been hiding?!"_ her inner squealed, stealing a glance towards the Assassin whose clothing showed his build. _"Drool time!"_

"By the way, Sakura?" Naruto called. "You heard about the old geezer's birthday, right?"

"Yeah…" she mumbled.

"Is that why you seem to be carrying a lot more items today than necessary?"

"Duh." Sakura sniffed. "Tsunade-sensei asked me to buy them."

"Oh, so you're headed for Prontera!"

"Obviously…" she muttered, walking over to a nearby Kafra. "Hey, do I still have some blue gems in my storage?"

"Name and password please." The Kafra said.

Sakura gave the needed information, and received a list of the items in her storage through the communicator wrapped around her left arm. "Darn. I ran out."

"It doesn't hurt to walk." Naruto said with a laugh. "You've got _Agi Up_."

_Agility Up_ or _Agi Up_ is a skill that increases the speed of a person – whether through walking, running, or attacking.

"You forget how hard it is to walk in long skirts."

Naruto frowned. "That's why you have a slit there, right?"

Sakura flushed and hit Naruto with her staff. "Don't look!"

"Owww!!"

Sasuke just smirked at his two former teammates back when they were still twelve while he was thirteen; three years didn't make much of a difference. _"Except for the fact that we're older, no longer first job candidates, Naruto's grown stronger, and Sakura's hair is longer." _He paused in his thoughts, not really seeing the point as to why he took notice of her hair instead of her growth. _"…Well, she has curves now. Never knew she'd have those."_ He thought, scrutinizing her as she continued scolding Naruto. _"Her best asset is probably her legs."_

"Uchiha!"

He raised a brow.

"Stop looking at the slit!"

"…Don't even think of _that_."

"Then why the heck were you staring?!"

"I was wondering why a servant of God wears dresses with slits." He took note of other female Priests who passed by. "Acolyte clothing seemed to fit the idea better."

"Oh…" Sakura turned away in embarrassment of accusing him of something. _"What am I thinking? Sasuke's not that kind of guy…"_

Naruto eyed the two, and then grinned sneakily at Sakura. "I just remembered something urgent, Iruka-sensei wanted me to meet him in Izlude, so, bye!" he walked off, but Sakura was aware that Naruto purposely left her alone with Sasuke.

"Come on." Sasuke said, not giving her time to respond when he suddenly picked her up and jumped towards a roof, and then took off, heading for Prontera.

"I can walk!"

"It would take longer."

"Then what's the point of my Agi Up?"

"You were complaining about your skirt." He landed back on the ground, right in front of Prontera castle. "Besides, I can still take you here, double the speed." He dodged her attack when she took out her staff. "And don't bother, you'll just keep missing."

"Hmph." She pouted and turned her back to him. "Arrogant jerk." She murmured.

Being a Critical type - Agility and Luck (Agi-Luk) - Assassin, Sasuke's speed and luck were pretty high, which meant he moves fast, hits critically fast, and also gets away with nearly everything. She was a Full Support (FS; Int-Vit with a bit of Dexterity or Dex for short) type, so she relied more on her magic skills and, duh, support skills.

Agility focuses on the speed of a person. Luck adds the critical hits one could give an opponent, as well as the increase of chances in not missing a target and avoid receiving damages. Dexterity, on the other hand, improves the possibilities of hitting a target – but for spell casters or those who rely on skills, Dex makes them cast faster.

"Anyway, thanks for the lift." She told him, keeping her staff and fixing her bags. "See you later then."

"Sakura."

She looked back at him as he pulled something out underneath his shirt.

"That's-" she got cut off when he handed it to her. "You kept it…"

He smirked. "You were right, it did give me luck."

She took the rosary that acted as a necklace meant to bring luck to the wearer. "Oh, here." She undid the knot of the scarf around her neck. "I took utmost care of it, since it's important to you."

He took the red material. "Hn. Nice seeing you again."

"Y-yeah." She smiled. "You too."

He turned around and began walking off, leaving Sakura to giggle like a fan girl and jog inside Prontera castle.

"So you finally admit you like him."

She stopped and blushed. "Ts-Tsunade-sensei!" she bowed down a bit at her mentor, who smirked and shook her head. "You startled me."

"I did?" The female Champion just grinned. "I'd say I only caught you by surprise due to your infatuation over a certain Assassin."

"Yeah well," she looked away. "Can you blame me..?"

"No, I can't." Tsunade sighed. "That brat has charisma which he ought to put to good use."

"Sensei…"

"Hm?" Tsunade laughed. "I'm kidding, come on." She led the way inside where most of the Acolyte class people were setting up a few decorations and fixing the tables and chairs.

"I thought the party would be outside?"

"It will be, but this is for the other elite classes."

"I see…"

"By the way," Tsunade eyed Sakura with one eye since she had the other closed. "Have you picked out a dress yet?"

"Shoot! I forgot!"

"Get going then, you've done your chores for today, so go pick out a dress."

"Right, see 'ya!" she left the castle and was back outside Prontera. "Hmm… where can I find…" she thought long and hard, deciding that the dresses in Prontera are already good enough. She then proceeded walking towards the center of the town where she spotted a Dancer entertaining the crowd while moving to the soft melody of a Bard's music.

"Ino!" She waved at the Dancer. "Sai!" and at the Bard; both parties stopping their performance to look up at the pink-haired Priestess running towards them. "Shouldn't you save that for later?" she grinned.

"Well, it's practice for my part." Sai said.

"No way am I performing later." Ino winked at Sakura. "I wouldn't want to be busy when a certain someone would ask me to dance."

"Wait, you know that Sasuke's back?"

"Of course! Naruto is a loud mouth."

Sakura sighed and gave a twitching smile. "Well, you and I both know that Sasuke wouldn't ask _anyone_ to dance."

Ino also gave the same grin. "Not if he sees me tonight with my new dress."

"You think that he'll give you a second glance when you prance around in a skimpy outfit?"

"He may be an Assassin, but he is still pure-male filled with testosterones."

"Ino!" Sakura blushed and scolded her friend. "What do you take him for?!"

The blonde only gave an evil laugh. "You'll see, he won't go for the innocent types."

Sakura twitched. "Just because I'm from the Acolyte class doesn't exactly mean I know nothing."

"You're devoted to God hon, your love for Sasuke is not meant to be."

"I don't love him..!" she defended. "And for the record, we're no longer living in the past where affairs for Acolyte classes and other classes are forbidden."

"It's still considered taboo." Ino shrugged. "Look, I'm not doing this for the sake of winning him over you, but it's for you as well. I don't want to have to snap at old coots who talk behind your back."

Sakura smiled slightly.

"And besides," she sighed. "I wouldn't doubt if Sasuke's testosterones were also cold."

"Ino, you should just… perform." Sakura said, laughing.

Sai just continued eyeing them and listening. _"I feel like a brick wall."_

* * *

"Here we go." She pushed open the door and entered the dress shop, stopping all of a sudden when she saw two men she least expected to be in the store. "E-Eh?! W-What are you two doing here?!"

"Well, if it isn't little Saku-chan!" The older of the two men said, smiling slightly. "But then, I think you've outgrown that name."

"N-not entirely but that's beside the point!"

"Calm down, Baphomet."

Sakura twitched. "I dare you to repeat that."

She only got a smirk. "Ba-pho-met."

She snapped; and she brought out her staff and attempted to hit him numerous times.

"You're only proving me correct."

"I hate you..!! Die Uchiha! Die!!"

Sasuke sighed and grabbed the staff, pulling it away from her, but she had her grip onto it so he ended up pulling her to him as well, and that led her to blush – Déjà vu. "Seriously, calm down."

She quieted down, but her heart was far from calm due to the closeness of their faces. _"…He's got pretty eyes…" _she thought in a dazed fashion. _"And the way his bangs are parted from above his right eye just makes him look perfect…"_

"Hn." He let her staff go and turned back to the Biochemist. "I guess this conversation will be cut short."

"Indeed."

"Wait, why are you both having a talk here?"

"I just happen to be given the task to pick out a dress for Anko."

"You..? Orochimaru-sensei, this may sound offending but…"

"I know." He smiled yet again. "But I was forced to carry out the task by our birthday celebrant."

"I see." Sakura glanced at Sasuke. "And you?"

"That's classified." Sasuke turned around, about to leave, but Orochimaru placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Check if Juno can assist."

"Already did," he looked elsewhere. "But they're useless for this situation."

Sakura only blinked, wondering what they could be talking about.

"Anyway, why don't you stay and accompany Sakura for a while? I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do after three years. I'm about to leave soon." Orochimaru turned around when the clerk came back and handed him a wrapped parcel. "I need to convince the Stalker to wear this."

"Good luck with that." Sasuke muttered, and he and Sakura were left behind when Orochimaru had gone.

"Um… this is awkward."

"Hn."

She twitched. "Look, just go if you want to."

"Actually," he looked at her, giving her a blue gemstone. "I need you to warp me to Morroc."

"After calling me a Baphomet..?"

He sighed and just walked off.

"Ugh! Fine! Here!" she used the gem and opened a warp portal while pouting. "You can be soooooo-" she got cut off when he ruffled her head and turned to smirk at her.

"Thanks." And he entered the portal and disappeared, leaving her behind to blush and gape.

"Miss? Is there any dress in particular you would-"

"He just thanked me!" Sakura squealed, ignoring the clerk who just sweat dropped.

* * *

He received many greetings of happy birthday from every guest who came, and he returned his thanks with a smile on his lips. He sipped onto his wine, eyes scanning the area and smiling yet again when three familiar faces came up.

"It's odd to see the two of you together once again, and for you, Kakashi, to be early." He smiled. "Where's Sakura?"

"She's running late, apparently." Kakashi laughed, patting the other two's shoulders. "Anyway, Sasuke, Naruto."

"Happy birthday 'ya old geezer!" Naruto grinned, earning a bash on the head from Kakashi who still kept the happy expression on his face, even if the mask covered his nose and lips.

"I'm so sorry for this, Sarutobi-sama."

Sarutobi only laughed out loud and waved his hand dismissively, saying he was used to Naruto being Naruto.

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered at Naruto, before sighing and turning to Sarutobi, and then bowed down a bit. "Happy birthday."

"Welcome back Sasuke, and thank you." Sarutobi said back. "Any luck on your mission?"

Sasuke clenched his fists, and then unclenched them again. "I still don't have a lead."

"Clues will turn up soon, and besides," Sarutobi placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're one of the best and most talented Assassins Midgard could have, you'll accomplish your assignment soon."

"Aa."

Naruto nourished the bump on his head as he and Sasuke left Kakashi to talk with Sarutobi.

"Sakura sure is late, huh bastard?"

"Oddly enough." Sasuke replied, hands pocketed as always, and turning away from Naruto to check his surroundings.

As what the Assassin guild had discussed, they were to remain on full alert in case a threat to Sarutobi's life occurs.

"Whoa! Holy cow! Sakura! You look amazing!"

He blinked and glanced at where Naruto had his blue eyes on, and his eyes widened upon setting his sights on his former female teammate's appearance.

His lips parted in awe at how her spaghetti-thin strapped dress wrapped her body perfectly; the red clothing stopping just below her chest and left the rest open to reveal another part of the dress, this time at the color of white. She still had a cross pendant as her necklace, a pair of dangling earrings, and she had white gloves that reached at the middle of her upper arms with a couple of silver bracelets on her right wrist. Her hair was in a half up-do, and to the Assassin's eyes, she has never looked so beautiful.

"_That's… Sakura..?"_

"Thanks Naruto." Sakura said, feeling embarrassed from the compliment that she placed her right hand at the back of her neck. "You don't look bad yourself." She said, smiling despite the pink flush on her cheeks. "I'd actually think you won't be able to pull off wearing a tux." She caught sight of his loosened tie, as well as a couple of buttons undone. "But you still need help in the proper way of wearing it."

"Aw give me a break!" he said, puffing out his left cheek before turning to check on Sasuke, who was still silent. He blinked and grinned upon seeing his best friend's expression, and he tried to look for an excuse to leave the two alone again. "Oh! Look! It's Iruka-sensei!" he dashed off, and Sakura felt a bit uneasy being left alone with Sasuke, yet again.

"Um…" she began, avoiding eye contact, but realized that she couldn't really keep her eyes off of him for too long. His hair was the same, and she liked it that way. He still sported a silver hoop earring on his right ear, and two silver hoop earrings on the helix of his left ear. Normally, she would be turned off upon the sight of men having earrings, but somehow, she found it an additional appeal to Sasuke. Unlike Naruto who wore his tie loosely and a few dress shirt buttons undone, Sasuke had worn his properly, though he still showed of his rebellious nature by keeping the coat open.

As always, he kept his hands in his pockets, and her eyes trailed back to his face, expecting to see a calm and cool expression, but he was actually staring at her with wide eyes.

"_Could he be…?" _she blushed at the idea that he was possibly stunned by her appearance. _"But then, it might mean I don't look good in his eyes…" _she lowered her head at that. "If you call me a Baphomet again, I swear I'd-"

"Far from it." He finally spoke, shaking his head to return back to _normal_. "It never even crossed my mind."

She blinked, and her blush came back on her cheeks. "You mean…"

He gave a smirk, and it definitely completed the whole package. "I can't even find a right word to describe you tonight," he tried to keep his cool by maintaining eye contact. When he saw her feeling shy underneath his gaze, he gained some more confidence to speak to her. "Just know that… you completely took me by surprise."

"You're not really giving a clear answer." She said. "Is what you're saying a positive reaction, or a negative one?"

She was startled to see him just an inch apart from her face; and she wondered when he had lessened the distance between them. "Which do you think?" he asked back, the smirk still on his lips. "No one has _ever _taken me by surprise since I became an Assassin."

"_Lord, if I survive this night, I will forever be in Your debt." _She stopped her train of thoughts. _"Wait, I already am forever in Your debt." _She looked away, cheeks turning much redder. "I guess…"

"Hn. Then perhaps that would be a compliment." He pulled back to keep their faces at a safe distance. "So, what took you? It's Kakashi's job to be late, not yours."

"I had trouble…" she muttered, refusing to look at him, or else she'll lose sight of her surroundings.

He raised a brow. "Trouble with what?"

"Crowds." She said, smiling sheepishly. "I'm not like Naruto who can ride his Peco-Peco and make the crowd part, nor am I like you and Kakashi-sensei, who can jump from roof to roof."

"What's the use of your teleport skill?" he smirked, and she flushed in embarrassment. "I guess you do have limits."

"Oh, and you don't?"

He shrugged, looking elsewhere. "I just said you took me by surprise, so that answers the question."

"_Ugh. Damn him for remaining cool."_

Sasuke noted a fellow Assassin's signal, and he narrowed his eyes a bit, before glancing from left to right. He returned his gaze at the Assassin, who raised his hand to scratch the back of his head, which meant that something wasn't right.

"Er… Sasuke?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, letting the other Assassin know that he got it, before turning to Sakura.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No," he said, pocketing his hands once more. "Just saw someone who owes me." He shrugged it off and looked around once more. "Hey, I need to-"

"Found you!" a high pitched voice of a female in sing-song mode had said, suddenly wrapping her arms around him from behind. "Gosh! It's so hard to look for you in the sea of men wearing tuxes!"

Sakura twitched.

"Hm? Oh, sorry, am I… interrupting?" she gave a sly smile to Sakura. "I didn't think Priestesses would mingle with Assassins."

"Who died and made you think that?" Sakura shot back.

"Doesn't matter, because the fact still remains that I got to hug Sasuke and you haven't yet!"

"She already has…" Sasuke corrected, before narrowing his eyes. "I don't really like being hugged by anyone other than my teammates, even if the dobe gets too enthusiastic when I paid for his items back then."

"You paid for his items..?" Sakura echoed.

"He forgot his wallet during those times, don't think I offered to."

"Doesn't matter," the girl flipped her hair. "I've been a teammate of yours too, Sasuke."

"Hn. I never considered you as one." He glared, and Sakura could feel the cold aura he suddenly had. "Sakura." He gave a nod and left soon after.

"Hmph. You had something to do with this, huh?"

Sakura twitched. "You know, you won't be having any trouble in becoming a Stalker soon, so I wonder why you're still a Rogue." She then turned and left the red-haired girl, her mood already ruined. _"Geez. Who does she think she is?! I don't even know her!"_

Somehow, people who don't know each other can tell from the presence of a person what their current jobs are.

* * *

The howling wind signaled a storm coming; but before it arrives, the target must be shot.

"Angle it at sixty degrees to the right," he instructed to the Sniper next to him while keeping a close watch on his target with the use of a pair of binoculars. "Hold it until I give the signal."

Aside from Assassins or Ninjas, Snipers – the next level of Hunters – are the perfect killers when you want to take on the target from a safe distance. However, at nighttime, they can be rendered useless without someone else to be their eyes, or if they are not given the proper equipment for a clear view of their mark.

For their eyes, the job with perfect vision (whether darkness or daylight) would be the Thieves who chose the path of Assassins.

When they were merely part of the First Job Class, they underwent a series of hard training, such as target locking and assassination, stealthy spying and escaping, and of course, being one with the dark – the hardest test of all. Only a handful are able to master this skill properly, and lucky him to have the Assassin Cross (Sin-X) – the next level of an Assassin – to be his eyes tonight.

"Fire in three…"

He pulled onto his arrow while having a steady aim at his target's head.

"Two…"

He shut his left eye to make sure it would be a direct hit.

"One, now!"

And he let the arrow zoom, watching how it got closer and closer to his target, until –

"Everybody down!"

The man he aimed to kill was shoved to the ground, making the arrow hit a wooden post instead of the target's head.

"Shit. Someone intervened." The mysterious Sniper grunted, at the same time, lowered to the roof of the inn he was on, his ally doing the same. "We need to move to another location."

"No," the Sin-X said while putting on a black mask to cover his nose and lips. "_You _move to another spot – preferably the rendezvous point, I need to finish the job."

"Right. Don't get caught."

It wasn't seen, but from the way the Sin-X's eyes glinted, the Sniper knew he just got a smirk. "Kind of strange to tell that to an Assassin Cross, don't you think?"

"Just saying out of habit." The bow and arrow wielder soon left while the katar wielding Assassin rolled to the left and sneakily jumped onto the ground, confident that no one spotted him due to the current panic that an arrow stirred.

"_Time for plan B."_ he used the _Cloaking _skill so that he can be hidden from the eyes of the people despite moving; careful not to bump into anyone that might give away his position.

He spotted his target still kneeling on the ground with about two to three men shielding him while people ran around in panic.

Despite not knowing everyone that well from the Assassin Guild, he can sense his fellow Sins with one look, or just from plain sensing.

"Sakura, use Ruwach!"

A curse left his mouth when a pink-haired Priest's _Ruwach_ – a skill that could dispel the Hide or Cloaking abilities – almost revealed his position if he was an inch closer to the range. The Assassin who called the shot was pretty sensitive to his surroundings, and he couldn't help but snort at how rare those types of Sins are nowadays.

"We're dealing with an Archer class, what makes you think he could be detected by a Ruwach?!"

The Assassin who told Sakura to use Ruwach glared at the other Sin who questioned him. "Did it even occur to you that a Rogue could be responsible for the shot? Or perhaps another Assassin is out there waiting for a chance to kill him?"

Cloaking is a skill that only Assassins can use, as well as other jobs classes who have the right card equipped to their accessories. _Hide_, on the other hand, is a skill that all members of the Thief class can do – whether Assassin or Rogue. However, that particular skill cannot let the user move while invisible, and can only let one stay hidden if in stationary position.

Aside from that, Rogues can also use Bows and Arrows as weapons.

"Keep using Ruwach Sakura, and make sure to have a Kyrie Eleison around you."

"Got it!" she performed the barrier skill onto her before using Ruwach while walking the area.

"Naruto, get your other friends to clear the crowd! We can't detect the suspect if there are too many people!"

"Geez Sasuke, who the hell made you leader?" he still obeyed none the less and got a few Swordsman (Swordie) class to help out in crowd control.

"_No wonder that kid sensed Zetsu's arrow." _He smirked. _"If the older brother can't be underestimated, then I guess the younger mustn't be too." _He then dodged to the left and settled against a house's wall. "Zetsu, I can't make the kill, Itachi's little brother is there."

"Why? Can't take him?"

"No," he snorted. "It's a waste of valuable time to go against an Assassin of his caliber, he'd make sure our target will be able to escape while dealing with me – not to mention that he'll do so with the intention to kill."

"I can never understand you Assassins," Zetsu muttered. "You go for the kill, yet back out when another Assassin is around."

"I don't normally do, but…" his eyes went back to observe the spiky haired Assassin who kept scanning the area for any signs of danger. "Uchiha Sasuke is one of the favored members of the Assassin Guild; it is no wonder why the leader had assigned him for this secret mission."

"Whatever. Now what..?"

"Plan C."

"Which is..?"

"We leave for now, and then come back for the kill."

"Boss won't like this."

"He'll understand if we tell him that Hatake Kakashi is around as well."

"Didn't you always want to spar with him?"

"Not in this predicament."

"Alright, get going before you're caught."

"Can't argue this time," he turned to the teenaged Assassin related to Itachi. "Especially since I know who I would have been dealing with…"

_**

* * *

**_

**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me:** _No previews people! Sorry. ^^_

_**Apathetic Silence: **__And before I forget, she's in-charge of the whole Arc I plot – so starting with the next chapter, I won't be around to give out notes or news – unless of course it is necessary._

_**(12.30.09)**_

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **So, like in my updates earlier, the site is going loco in terms of centering the titles. Anyway! My cousin isn't here to say anything else, and I am still internet-less... and yes, I know my cousin's account and password. But he doesn't know mine XD_


	2. Siege Breakers

"I want answers!"

Sarutobi raised a hand to Tsunade to stop her from speaking.

"Clearly," he spoke, turning to Sasuke who stood before his seated form. "The Assassin guild had seen this coming, and your Master has asked all of you Assassins to protect me, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you allowed to speak of the details?"

He didn't answer for a moment, since he had glanced at the other Assassins who were on the side. "Our guild Master has given me the authority to decide for myself whether to tell you or not," he looked back at Sarutobi. "Not letting you know will endanger you further, so it's better to inform you who exactly we're dealing with."

"Hold it, we can't disobey the Master's orders!"

"I think I made it clear what he has granted me." Sasuke said to the female Assassin who spoke. "This mission to protect the king is under my authority, and he has stated in the meeting earlier that I can opt to tell or not."

"...So be it."

"Geez. Assassins have so many protocols." Tsunade murmured to the Biochemist next to her, Orochimaru. "And to think that they didn't have so many rules…"

"Procedures are needed to keep them in line."

"Sir," Sasuke began once more, looking at Sarutobi's expectant eyes. "My search for my brother is a cover-up story just to keep my real mission hidden. The Master has personally requested that I lead a team of Assassins to keep an eye out on Midgard," when the King nodded, he proceeded. "The Ninja guild has given us news that there is someone who wants you dead." He stopped to apologize for being blunt, but Sarutobi just nodded after getting over the shock. "The Crusader and Knight guilds are unaware of this because it will alert the suspect of our awareness, so we had to take the risk and do the job to keep you safe."

"If you ask me," a representative of the Knight guild said. "Your class didn't do a pretty good job in keeping an eye out."

* * *

**Close Proximity**  
_"__**Siege Breakers**"_

_For harmony to be attained, the barrier between good and evil must fall to unite opposing forces  
For peace to be gained, the Siege Breakers must live up to their name to destroy walls that divide

* * *

_

"I'm sorry if I'll be straightforward with you, but," he looked at the Knight. "You don't have any right to talk that way since you weren't the one who just saved Sarutobi-sama's life."

The Knight clenched his fists as he glared at the younger Assassin. "Perhaps I could have if we were informed."

"Heh." He smirked. "You were about eighty-feet or so away from the king, would you have gotten to him in time to stop the arrow?"

The Knight flushed and shut his mouth, his eyes asking how the computations were known.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Your highness, if I may speak," he continued when Sarutobi nodded. "Please let them know who our Assassin here is to get rid of confusions."

"Oh, of course." Sarutobi stood up at this. "The Assassin standing before you is one of the few favored members of the Assassin guild. His name is Uchiha Sasuke, and I've heard a lot about him from the guild Master himself." He coughed to clear his throat before continuing. "He is a very talented Assassin with the intelligence of Biochemists (next class of Alchemists) and Professors (higher class of Sages; they are known for their high intelligence) alike. So it isn't a surprise to those who know him that he was able to tell how far apart you were from me. His training and experience makes him able to scan his surroundings in just one glance." he told the Knight. "And also, well... the rest is better to see when he's in action; and I _have_ seen him in action more than twice."

"Anyway, Uchiha, please continue with your story." Tsunade said.

"Hn. A fellow Assassin of mine was responsible in signaling me that something wasn't right, so I went to look for you, Sarutobi-sama, with the intention of hiding you. Unfortunately, the arrow was shot and I had to push you down to prevent the sharp point from colliding with your head."

"Please spare me the details of gore." He gave a nervous smile. "However, I thank you and the Assassin guild for prioritizing my safety."

"Sir, it's not over." He narrowed his eyes. "We can't relax just yet, not until the killers are dead."

"Killers?" Tsunade echoed.

"It's better to assume that we are dealing with more than one suspect." He said. "An Archer class may or may have fired that shot, but we can't forget that Rogues or Stalkers are capable of wielding bows and arrows just as well as Archers do."

"Are those the only job classes we have to be careful of?"

"No sir." Sasuke lowered his head a bit. "This will be hard for me to admit, but I have to."

"What is it?"

"When I asked Sakura to use Ruwach, I detected an Assassin Cross in the area with the intention to kill you."

"Which is why you asked Naruto to get help with crowd control?"

"Yes sir." He nodded. "You may have heard a lot about me, but I am also prone to failures and weaknesses. The Sin-X was hard to track down due to so many people panicking. As soon as the crowd had calmed down, he was gone."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Sir?"

"You're still leading this mission – and until I am killed or a hundred percent safe, what do you propose we do?"

"I have boundaries that I can't cross."

"Consider my question as something… out of curiosity."

* * *

He picked up the parcel that was clearly stomped on by a lot of people, afterwards, shook it and grinned when the object still seemed intact. "How much would this baby sell, eh?"

"Put it down you idiot! We're here to look for clues!"

"No, you're here for that, not me." He chuckled and unwrapped the out-of-shape box, afterwards, pulled off the lid and looked inside. "Heeeeey! It's a rare Alice doll!"

"Any rich person can afford that Suigetsu, now _please_, stop clowning around!"

"Chill," he sighed. "I'm a Gunslinger, I'm told to shoot, not to investigate!" he took notice of a girl checking the area. "And I'm about to shoot at that babe over there."

"Ugh! You pervert!"

Suigetsu scoffed. "Don't act innocent, Karin, you have more erotic thoughts of Sasuke in your head than I do with women."

Karin had blushed. "T-That's not true!"

"Uh-huh…" Suigetsu walked off while carrying the Alice doll and smirked at the girl who just arrived. "Yo, I'm a Gunslinger and I like _shooting_," he leaned closer to her and winked. "If you know what I mean."

She glared. "Can't you see that what happened is something serious?"

"Okay, I dig the whole celibacy thing with you Priests, but come on, this is the modern times now!" he shut his mouth when the Priest took out her staff and threatened him with it. "Alright, alright!"

She watched the Gunslinger walk away before hiding her staff again and look at the wreck before her. _"Who would want to assassinate the King?"_

"Any luck?"

"Oh, hey Sasuke."

He raised a brow at her. "You don't seem… lively."

"Who would at a time like this?"

He shrugged. "Idiots like Suigetsu?" he pointed at the Gunslinger from earlier when she gave a questioning look.

"And how is it that you know the pervert?"

"I've met a lot of perverts." He picked something up from the ground. "Though I only know a few who aren't," he handed the item to her. "And they give out dating tips."

She smiled at the _Witherless Rose_ he gave her, said to symbolize undying or eternal love. "And do you have any idea that what you did means something?"

"Yeah, but I think you're smart enough to know how my language differs from others."

She rolled her eyes but laughed. "Next time, don't give me anything related to love if you're not confessing."

"I'll keep that in mind." He eyed her dress which had a couple of mud here and there. "That's gonna stain."

"I know…" she sighed. "It cost me about a thousand zenies or more."

"Then get someone to buy you a dress next time," he smirked. "That way, you wouldn't regret what you paid."

"And who the heck would be dumb enough to buy me a dress?"

"The dead last will yield after a few threats from you, and Lee is pretty much hell bent on giving you the world."

Sakura giggled. "I wouldn't want to keep killing off what's left of Naruto's brain cells, and I'd rather not get Lee's hopes up."

"Your loss." He shrugged.

She just shook her head and walked next to him as they checked other areas that might have left some clues. "So who was that Rogue who pestered you earlier? Your mood changed all of a sudden."

"Didn't know you can be a mood reader," he commented before answering her question. "Her name's Karin," he gestured at the girl next to Suigetsu with his head. "Self-proclaimed girlfriend of mine."

"I figured that part out, but how did you two meet if you avoid her type?"

"She's a Rogue, I'm an Assassin – we both come from the Thief class, therefore, our paths are likely to cross."

"It must be hard to be you."

"Very." He pulled out the arrow that embed itself against the pole. "And how many perverts have you come across with?"

"Suigetsu would have been the sixteenth."

"Also the one who got away easily, I presume?"

"You presume correctly." She smiled. "The others were not very lucky."

"I'll take your word for it." He checked the tip of the arrow. "Hm… poison."

"How'd you know?"

"We're experts with regards to poisons or venoms – this one came from a Wraith Dead's _Envenom_."

"How can the poison skill be taken and coated on the arrow's tip?"

"A Hunter or Sniper trapped the monster, successfully managing to immobilize it, and as soon as it attacked with Envenom," he looked at Sakura. "The arrow was most likely receiving the splash of the poison."

"If it was targeting the King's head and failed to kill him, the poison will immediately finish the job." She furrowed her brows. "But how can a Hunter or Sniper be able to deal with the poison without getting affected?"

"Thief Class skill: _Detoxify_ – much reliable than Green herbs." He frowned. "I'm already sure an Assassin Cross is involved, and to get a Wraith Dead immobilized, a skilled Hunter or Sniper is needed."

"Do you know any Assassin Cross who wasn't present during your meeting for today's party?"

"The meeting was meant for Assassin classes only, so Sin-X's weren't supposed to be there; however, since they were once Assassins, they were entitled to come."

"So..?"

"Everyone was present in the meeting – save for those who had missions." He narrowed his eyes at the arrow. "There were two people missing today who didn't have a mission, and one of them is my brother, but he already _is_ missing."

"Didn't you just tell the King that that mission was a cover-up?"

"It still is, but it's not stopping me from doing both my current assignment and that mock one."

"Who's the other Assassin?"

He gripped at the arrow's body tightly, causing it to snap into two. "Momochi Zabuza."

* * *

The flame that lit the candle flickered from time to time as the person next to it had a grim look in his face.

"The mere sight of his brother stopped you," he scoffed. "An Assassin was able to make you, an Assassin Cross, experience cold feet?"

"Trust me, that kid can match a Sin-X's level. The only reason why he still can't move on to the transcendent class of a Sin-X is because he needs more experience to learn some skills."

"You and Zetsu are our best bet to finish the job! Yet he missed the shot and you failed to kill Sarutobi!"

"What's the rush? It's not like there's a deadline."

"Our guild's name is at stake here Zabuza," he frowned. "Don't take the mission _too _lightly. By now, that Uchiha must have figured out who you are."

"Most likely, since Itachi and I aren't present during the Assassin guild meeting."

"You're now a wanted criminal. I won't take any chances by having you deal with the job." He turned his back to the Sin-X. "Send someone who can do the _inside_ job."

"I already have two people in mind, but don't you think we should have someone who is an expert in poison to tag along?"

"See to it then." He walked off as soon as the flame died down. "We have enough _minions_ to spare."

"Yes sir."

* * *

"You said that yesterday!"

"I know, but I'm on a mission right now."

"How can sitting on a roof and staring at people be a mission?!"

He sighed and took out an apple from his pack around his waist and handed the fruit to the child.

"Wow! An apple! My favorite!" he took it with a grateful smile and bit the fruit. "But seriously, how can this be a mission?"

"Surveillance."

"Sounds cool…" the child said with a mouthful of apple bits. "Yet I see you eyeing only one person." He gave a provoking grin. "You dig her, huh Sasuke-nii?"

"No." He answered almost immediately.

He truly lives up to the Assassin name due to his lack of emotion or reaction.

"So why do you keep looking at her then?"

"She's a possible target of the suspect."

The young boy didn't seem to believe it at first after sensing how intent the Assassin's gaze was on the pink-haired Priestess, but he shrugged none the less. "Whatever you say…" he finished the apple and grinned upon seeing a familiar blonde head. Next thing he did was to throw the apple core onto said blonde and hid behind Sasuke.

"Ow! Who did- oh, very mature teme!"

His eyes looked from Sakura to Naruto. "Kishiro." He glanced at the child hiding behind him. "Go home."

"I don't want to!" he stuck his tongue out. "I want to stay with you a bit longer!"

"You'd rather sit here and do nothing than train?"

"You're training me! No one at home can!"

They seem to have forgotten the ranting Naruto on the ground who was catching a lot of people's attention – including Sakura.

"If you find a loudmouth, you also find the opposite." She exclaimed upon reaching the Crusader's side. "What's up Sasuke?"

The dark-haired Assassin just grunted and got up from his seat. "I don't see anything so far." He turned to Kishiro. "As for you, go home. Now."

Kishiro pouted.

"I'm not buying that." Sasuke picked up the boy and jumped down in front of his former teammates, afterwards, set Kishiro back on the ground. "I'll tank you when I'm not busy."

"Bah! You're always busy even if you're just sitting up there on a roof and watching the people!"

"I already told you that it's surveillance duty."

"That's a Swordie class job!" Kishiro looked at Naruto. "Something you're supposed to be doing right now!"

"Why you little-"

"Naruto, shut up." Sasuke said, and turned to Kishiro. "Swordsman classes can't get up on roofs; why else would Ninjas or Assassins be in-charge of that?"

"…You're the only one watching."

"This area, yes, but if you circle the whole town of Prontera, you'll see more Sins." He ruffled the child's hair. "Now, go home."

"Oh fine! But you owe me twice now!" he then took off without looking back.

"How the heck do you get him to listen to you whereas he just disrespects me?!"

"Kishiro is aspiring to be an Assassin like me, not a Crusader like you." He started to walk off. "And he's rivals with Inari, in case you're forgetting."

"Shit. Inari!" Naruto looked at Sakura. "Can you warp me to Izlude?!"

Sakura twitched. "Naruto, Izlude is a field away from Prontera! Walk to it! Use your peco-peco!"

"Oh, right!"

"Sasuke's right, you are an idiot."

"Yeah sure, side with him!" he grunted. "And I was the one who stuck with you during those three years!"

Sakura sighed. "Geez Naruto…" she ignored the ranting blonde and looked at Sasuke's retreating form. _"It's just like that time…"_ she absently placed a hand onto the cross pendant around her neck. _"When you were leaving to become an Assassin,"_ she tried to not frown, but couldn't help it. _"Why is it that whenever I see your back, I feel… lonely?"_

"Sakura? Hey! You're not listening!"

* * *

"Aren't you supposed to be forming a guild?"

He kept his eyes on the townspeople of Prontera.

"I mean, Sarutobi-sama did give you an order."

"It was a suggestion he granted me."

"Yet you're not doing so." The long-haired Monk kept the small knife he had picked up earlier and tossed the Dead Branch item he was carving onto the ground. It activated and summoned forth a Nightmare – a ghostly horse that looked like it was on fire – purple flames to be exact.

It grunted a few times and turned its glare to its summoner, who smirked and pushed himself off of the wall he leaned on.

"Vigor Condensation." The skill the Monk used summoned forth five spirit spheres that surrounded him, meaning that the skill was at its maximum level to have been able to acquire five spheres in one skill. Next, he said out loud: "Vigor Explosion", which resulted to the spheres exploding to increase his critical attack. As soon as the Nightmare charged, he smirked and readied his right fist. "Extremity…" he punched the ground beneath him. "Fist!" and killed the monster he summoned once it was in the range of his attack.

"Nice." His companion commented sarcastically. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Not really." He chuckled and looked at the Assassin sitting on the rooftop. "Are you going to tell me about this guild the King wants you to form yet or not?"

"Hn." He jumped off of the roof and landed next to the Monk. "The guild's name is Siege Breakers, and Sarutobi-sama wants me to find members for it."

"So how come you're not?"

"I don't want to be a guild leader." He muttered. "It's bad enough that I have to lead the Assassins in locating our suspects."

"That Master of yours has high regards for you, what do you expect?"

"Good point." He sighed and started walking off. "Come on, I did ask for your help with regards to recruitment."

"Lee and Tenten are in too, how about Naruto and Sakura?"

"I haven't asked them yet."

"I should probably feel honored that I'm the first one you recruited then."

"Hn. Zip it Neji."

"Right. So, where exactly do you have in mind to search?"

"Downtown."

"What?!"

The crowd and noise were unbearable, and he was tempted to back out from helping Sasuke because of the annoying people around them.

"Why..?"

"Easy," Sasuke answered. "Most people who hang out here are looking for guilds to join in."

"So you just randomly accept them?"

"I haven't formed the guild yet, I'm only recruiting people who want to."

"Feh. Do you have any proof of this… guild?"

Sasuke sighed and pulled out a small scroll from his small pack strapped around his waist. "Sarutobi-sama made sure of it."

"So, who _will _be our guild leader then?"

"Someone you know, I assure you."

* * *

"Oh boy! Is this for real?!"

"Yes."

"Wow! He really said I should take the job?!"

"He has his hands full, so he told me to assign someone." He sighed. "A Crusader like you should be able to handle it."

"Of course I can!"

"Good. Go meet him downtown. He's with Neji, and they're recruiting members."

"YES!!" he started running off while carrying the _Emperium_, a golden crystal-like object that enables the bearer to create a guild. Not many people have this object, for only the worthiest are able to attain such an item. In this case, the King has granted the crystal to the soon to form Siege Breakers.

"Did he really..?"

"Yes Sakura, as impossible as it sounds, he did."

"Wow… I never thought I'd live to see the day that Sasuke would ask Naruto to take his place."

"Shocking, I know."

"Well, I wouldn't want to miss this." She grinned, bowed down to the King, and then ran after Naruto. "Hey Naruto! Wait up!"

Sarutobi just smiled at them before glancing behind him. "As for you, shouldn't you be out there..?"

"They're on the move, your Highness, I suggest you be more careful."

"I am aware," he chuckled. "Sasuke made sure I know every detail."

"He's doing a pretty good job with his assignment."

"Not so much for the mock one, I assume."

"Yes sir."

"Well then, see to it that the other Paladins and Lord Knights are ready for what is to come."

"Yes sir."

* * *

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was…"

"This is Naruto, damn it! Who, in their right mind, would join Siege Breakers (SB) if they find out he's the leader?!"

He smirked. "You, Tenten, and Lee."

"…Oh funny, I didn't know it would be Naruto."

"Suck it up."

"So long as you're second-in-command."

"That depends on the idiot, don't you think?"

Neji rolled his eyes and slapped his forehead. "You set me up, I can't believe it… you set me up."

"Just taking advantage of our… friendship."

"Damn it Uchiha."

"Look," he turned from the blonde Crusader to the long-haired Monk. "Sarutobi-sama believes he can do well as a Guild Leader, so if he thinks so, then I'm fine with it."

"It's not good to lie, Sasuke."

"Your class is not allowed to lie."

"Do they teach you to kill or to retort?"

"Kill; retorting is just an art you need to learn the hang of."

Naruto kept grinning as he held the Emperium in his hands, whereas Neji sighed and plopped onto the ground.

"Anyway, dead last, just create the guild, name it Siege Breakers, and then invite some people." He narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "People who would be active, got it?"

"Hey, I'm going to be the leader! Don't boss me around!"

"I have the right, because I was the one who referred you as my replacement."

"...I'm with Neji, I think you're taught to retort and not to kill."

"Don't tempt me." He glanced at Sakura. "What are you smiling about?"

She grinned further. "I just miss seeing and hearing you two squabble like kids."

He twitched. "Better to be kids than to be a Baphomet."

She glared. "What?"

He smirked. "Baphomet."

"You are so dead this time!"

"Like you can hit me."

"Arrogant bastard!!"

"GUYS!" Naruto yelled. "Just accept the guild invitation first and then take your lover's spat elsewhere!"

Neji smirked at that as the two teens blushed and glared at Naruto, but accepted the invitation none the less.

Sasuke muttered an "I'm out" before taking his leave, whereas Sakura called him and ran after him, saying she wasn't done with him yet.

"You _did _notice that they didn't deny it, right?"

"Yeah," Neji chuckled. "I did."

* * *

"Uchihaaaaa!"

"For crying out loud!" he turned to her. "Will you stop it?!"

She blinked, and then smirked. "Stop what?"

He twitched. "Your annoyance."

"Which is..?"

"What you're doing!"

"What am I doing?"

He caught on to what she was leading him to, and somehow, that made him much more irritated – but…

"Hn." He smirked and leaned forward, making her blink and take a step back, until she hit a wall.

"_Shit…"_ she cursed and looked up at him, blushing when he was barely half an inch away from her face. "I need breathing space Uchiha!"

"Do you?" he leaned an arm against the wall over her head, while his other hand was pressed next to her body. "Want some of mine?"

She flushed.

"Or would you rather just let my lips touch yours?"

She could feel his breath on her face, could feel just how close her lips and his were, but damn, she couldn't look away – not when she's caught in his gaze.

"Heh." He stopped his advances and pulled away. "You are too innocent."

She blinked and saw his back, watching it walk away, and for some strange reason, her right hand reached out and grabbed onto the scarf around his neck, using that to pull him back.

He felt the material around his neck tighten, and he choked, afterwards, turned around to glare and prepare himself to lash out at Sakura, but he stopped when he saw her eyes.

He stared at her with wide onyx orbs, unsure of what to do or say when he saw how she was looking so afraid – of what, he didn't know.

Her left hand was fisted just before her chest where her heart was, and her grip onto his scarf tightened. Her eyes were glossy and directed at him, and her cheeks were slightly red, but she didn't look embarrassed – she looked like she was about to cry.

"Sakura?" he finally found his voice, and his brows furrowed in concern.

Her eyes blinked a few times, and from that action, he noticed the small tears that fell down her cheeks.

"I… I'm sorry I…" she let his scarf go, and took a step back. "I didn't know why I did that…" she immediately wiped her tears and forced a grin. "Sorry, really. I must have… choked you, ne?"

This situation was awkward, and that included what he was seeing, and what he was currently feeling.

"Yeah…" he answered in a soft voice while looking away.

"Sorry, I just…" she forced a small laugh. "I guess I'm… still a bit affected when I see your back, when I see you walking away."

His eyes widened as he looked at her sharply.

"I mean…" she lowered her gaze. "I still can't get over that incident, when you left us to train to become an Assassin…"

He remembered that – of how she called him back and gave him that rosary necklace which would bring him luck.

It did bring him luck during his training and exam. He passed all of the tests without difficulty, and somehow, he believed it had something to do with what Sakura had given him.

In return, he told her to take care of the scarf his brother had given him, and told her that it would at least help her keep warm on cold nights, since she was pretty much prone to the cold season. It did keep her warm, and that included security too, because somehow, during those times they've trained as a team, having him around made her feel mush safer. Having Kakashi and Naruto also made her feel secure, but not as much as Sasuke does.

She didn't know why, maybe because she could completely entrust her life to him, or maybe because he was just that reliable and dependable.

So when he left, and along with Kakashi too, she felt a bit lonely, even with Naruto there, she felt incomplete.

"You're crying again…" he stated, and she placed a hand on her cheek to feel the tears.

"I… I don't know why…" she tried to wipe them off, but they just kept coming. "Maybe I'm just happy that you're back, maybe I'm still affected by the past, maybe… maybe…"

His mind told him to comfort her, to embrace her, or let her lean onto him, but his body wasn't trained for physical affection. His emotions are unable to feel properly, because they're trained to lean towards calmness, they're trained to feel nothing.

"I'm just… really… glad you're here…" she continued to cry with a smile, and this time, he can tell it wasn't a forced one. "I just… missed you that much or I'm just… relieved to have you around because…" his eyes narrowed slightly while his fists clenched - his resolve was breaking, he knew it. "Because… I feel safer when you're around, just like the old days."

"Truth is…" he finally spoke as he unclenched his fists and turned around. "I… only came back because of the mission." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Even back then, Sakura was the only person who has ever made him feel nervous, or even a little bit of worry. "I wasn't planning on heading back at all…" he glanced at her over his shoulder. "At least, not until I find my brother."

Siege Breakers meant destroying the wall that divides and Sasuke knows that Sarutobi had meant something else besides forming the guild.

Maybe Sasuke knew from the back of his mind that the formation of the guild was also for him. It was meant to get him to tear down those walls he's surrounded himself with when he was still in Morroc.

And for some strange reason, the hardest wall to break was the one between him and Sakura.

Why? He wasn't entirely sure, but he had a good guess that it was because without that wall, she'd be open to more possible danger.

Being an Assassin with a name of Uchiha, he has enemies; most of which are successfully killed, while some still remain walking on the face of the earth, waiting to get to him.

Why else would Assassins be trained to remain emotionless? It's not _only_ because they're supposed to kill and not feel guilt, but it's mostly for them to not fall for someone, to not let their emotions out of control – especially if they lose someone dear to them.

"But even then, I never thought of going back, even if…" again, his fists clenched.

It was hard to break those walls he's worked so hard to put up.

"Even if… I…" his voice got softer and softer, and she could barely hear what he said next. "…missed you too."

While she felt complete and much more secure and safe with him around, he felt more at ease and relaxed with her being next to him.

He couldn't call these feelings as something more than friendship, because it wasn't.

She was someone special to him, like Itachi and Naruto.

Even Kakashi would fall under that category.

It just so happens that he had a softer spot for the Priestess.

He sees her as someone easy to break, easy to hurt…

More importantly, he sees her as someone easy to fall in love with.

"You… came back because of your mission to protect the King."

He nodded once.

"So, if it wasn't for the mission," he heard her choke on a sob. "You wouldn't even come back; you wouldn't even bother to visit…"

That wasn't entirely true, but in all honesty, he wasn't really planning on going back to Prontera.

For one thing, it distracted him from finding his only missing family.

His parents are gone, and Madara wasn't much of a family, just someone he was related to by family name.

"All this time," she continued. "Did you even think about coming back here?"

He couldn't answer because he was trying to choose his words carefully.

Being trained as an Assassin had disadvantages too.

For one thing, it was harder to communicate in terms of sentimental feelings, or just basically socializing. Assassins only talk or speak when it's about a mission, or something purely business-related. Sometimes, they even joke around or tend to retort, even carry important conversations related to politics or combat. But throw them in a discussion about love and feelings and they'll surely clam up or just stammer.

He couldn't really find the right words, so he turned to face her, but he was taken aback to see her crying.

Before he could even say something or make a move, she ran off.

That was another reason why he didn't want to break that wall between them, because he knew that compared to the other walls, the one he had for Sakura was just glass – something easy to break, yet would hurt so much due to the fragments. And since he was the one who broke through that barrier, the sharp projectiles were launched towards her, and he was the cause of it.

"Why is it that when I see a lady crying, you're always at the other end?"

He sighed silently and turned to meet an old Blacksmith.

"Did you reject another pretty face, Sasuke?"

"Tazuna-san," he bowed down slightly. "No, it wasn't rejection."

"I've never seen a girl cry like that because of you unless it's rejection…" he rubbed his chin. "So what was that all about?"

"Telling the truth." He said, glancing at the direction where Sakura took off. "Anyway, do you have it?"

"Yeah," he pulled out two newly refined Jurs. "It was tough to have this refined, you know?" he grinned. "What made you change your weapon from Katars to Jurs? And slotted none the less! Why do you need three cards for each?"

"I think it's about time I put the cards the clan has stored in our basement to good use." He answered, testing out the Jurs. "Anyway, I'm getting close to the Sin-X level; I may as well increase the variety of weapons I can use."

"You're a Crit type Sasuke, you can't use daggers properly."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty flexible about that." He pulled back the blades with one swift movement of his arms, retracting the sharp ends to avoid unnecessary harm. "And the other one?"

"Hm? Oh, right, I almost forgot." He pulled a package out of his cart. "Here, Tsunami says it was hard to find, but hey, you did say that money is-" he stopped. "Wait a minute; you aren't _that_ much of a spender!"

Sasuke took the parcel and looked at Tazuna.

"You usually just have me refine your weapons and armor! And you don't really spend too much on items and accessories, so why the sudden change, eh?"

He looked back down at the item in his hands. "I guess I'm just… dumb enough."

* * *

Day or night, Prontera still remains to be the outstanding town of Midgard.

Still, even if the happy faces on each person passing by, or every vendor who is eager to make a sale, the sadness she felt just won't go away.

"Sakura-nechan, you really should just forget about it."

"Yeah ne-chan, maybe there's a reason."

She looked down at the Takezawa twins she helped in training. Seiko, the younger of the two and also the male twin, would become an Archer starting tomorrow, but he has to submit the items he was required to gather first. Seika, the older and female twin, was pretty much excited to become an acolyte soon, but since the Church closes early on weekdays, she has to wait for tomorrow to come.

"Seiko, I don't think there's an explanation for Sasuke-nii to say such things."

"Yeah but…" he quieted down for a bit. "I don't think he'd do or say anything just like that without a valid reason."

"Oh well!" Seika looked back up at Sakura. "Cheer up ne-chan, it's not like it's the end, right?"

She forced a smile at the two children. "Yeah, but still… I don't think we'll be the same again."

"I hope that's not true."

The two kids yelped as Sakura jumped in surprise when Sasuke landed just a few feet away from them.

"Will you not do that?!" She yelled, breathing a sigh of relief. "That scared me!"

He got up and gave a small smirk.

"Don't even say it, I know what you're gonna say!" she pointed. "You're going to call me a Baphomet again, and then you'd say you didn't think Baphomets would be easy to surprise, and then the whole thing just goes on and on and on and-" she got cut off when he threw her something. "What the-?!"

"Hn. Guild meeting tomorrow morning, 0700H, at Sarutobi-sama's throne room," Instead of turning to leave, he decided to jump towards the roof of a nearby house. "Don't be late." And he soon left.

It took a while for Sakura to realize that he didn't turn his back to her, and for that, she somewhat smiled.

"Ne-chan, what did he give you?" Seika asked, her younger brother scolding her for being nosy.

"I don't know," she admitted while looking at the wrapped package. "It's light though."

"Open it!"

"Seika!" the boy yelled. "Don't force Sakura-nechan, let her open it when she wants to."

"But-"

"Sorry Seika," Sakura apologized. "I'll tell you what it is tomorrow." She gave a small smile. "Since this came from Sasuke, it must be a trick." She murmured.

* * *

For almost an hour, the package lay unopened on her bed, and she was still hesitant in opening it.

She did see the small note attached to it that told her to open it when she's alone, and that made her suspicious.

"I'm thinking too much…" she sighed and decided to take a bath first.

Her fingers found the zipped of her dress, and she pulled it off and let it fall onto the floor. Next, she stepped out of it and pulled off her stockings, underwear, and also removed her cross necklace. She tugged at the red ribbon that held her hair back into a half ponytail, the bells attached to it making ringing sounds.

"_That idiot…"_ she thought as she stepped into the showers and switched on the showers, loving the feel of warm water touch her body, making her relax.

But the package she got still made her uneasy, and even if she kept convincing herself not to think negatively about it, she'd much rather be cautious.

She finished taking a bath fifteen minutes later, and after drying herself, she wrapped the towel around her body and left the bathroom.

Again, she eyed the parcel, debating whether to open it yet or not.

Her feet brought her closer to it, yet her hands wouldn't move to undo the knot.

Due to her preoccupied state, she failed to sense a pair of eyes watching her every move from the opposite roof of her home.

"Just open it." He sighed and gave a small smirk. _"It would actually be a perfect fit though,"_ he thought while glancing at her towel-clad form. _"Geez, if someone else saw you like that, you'd be raped by now."_ He shook his head and continued to watch her pace around her room, and he was tempted to just go through her window and open it for her.

His communicator beeped, so he pressed the button on it and answered.

"Sasuke here."

"You're needed at the front of Prontera castle this instant."

"Hn. Give me five minutes."

"…Why?"

Sasuke held back a snort when he saw Sakura pull off her towel and get dressed. "I'm with someone right now," he said, turning away to give her a little privacy. "I just need to fix something guild-related."

"Alright, I'll inform the rest."

"Hn. Sasuke out." He pressed the button once more and then looked back at Sakura when she was finished. _"If I didn't have enough self control, I could have probably been tempted to just have my way with you."_ He shook his head in amusement as she continued eyeing the package.

That dress shirt she wore suited her, but he would have preferred her to wear shorts underneath instead of just her underwear – it was too revealing, and he knew that just about any male Ninja or Sin could pass by while using the roofs as their road, and they could see her dressed like that.

He stopped his train of thoughts when he saw her pick it up and untie the thin rope that secured the packaging. He smirked at her reaction when she saw what was contained within it, and he saw her pick up the small note that fell when she held out the white off-shoulder dress before her.

He would have to thank Tsunami for picking that dress – it really lived up to his expectations.

It was smooth, no doubt, and it was silk on the inside, yet transparent cotton for the outer layer of the lower half of the dress.

"_Hn. I better go."_ He stood up and gave her one last look, before jumping off towards Prontera castle.

He missed how Sakura's eyes had grown teary from reading his short note:

_I guess I'm dumb enough to buy you this._

_And for your unanswered question earlier…_

She recalled what she asked him right before she ran off. She remembered that she asked him if he ever thought of coming back, and she had to smile at his answer, and she pulled the note close to her lips.

_I did.

* * *

_

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Uh… last part was… weird, or rather, the whole exchange between Sakura's parents and Sasuke…**_

_**Apathetic Silence: Whatever works, I guess.**_

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: I thought you won't be here?!**_

_**Apathetic Silence: I wanted to read chapter 2…**_


	3. Protect and Abide

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: I'm sorry about the previous chapter's author notes. I forgot that I cut off the part wherein Sakura's parents were mentioned. Haha.**_

_**Apathetic Silence: You do live up to your penname.**_

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Why are you here again..?**_

_**Apathetic Silence: It's my account.**_

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: And I always re-type most of your stories after letting me read them while you just tell me what happens.**_

_**Apathetic Silence: *no longer listening*

* * *

**_

The bloody carcass almost made him puke if he wasn't used to such gore, but still, the foul stench was enough to make him lift up his mask to cover his nose and mouth.

"An Assassin did this, no doubt about it." His teammate said upon closer inspection. "The cuts are long and deep enough for us to identify an Assassin class weapon." He glanced at Sasuke. "A weapon likes yours."

"Hn. Jur." He walked closer.

"One thing's certain, if ever someone suspects you, we can easily defend you." Another Sin said. "Your work isn't as messy as this," his nose scrunched up. "You have clean cuts on your victims, not to mention, their expressions upon death are that of surprise, meaning you kill instantly, while this guy was left to bleed to death."

"Yeah, the expression of pain clearly states it." Said the other one. "What are we going to do about this Sasuke?"

"Who else knows?" he asked while keeping his eyes on the victim – a Priest.

"The whole Assassin guild knows, plus a couple of Ninjas and of course, Sarutobi-sama."

"Get someone to give this guy a funeral." He turned around, the black cloak around his waist following his movements as he walked off. "I'll need a few Sins to roam around the area, in case more than one killing was done."

"Understood."

No one else knew the message behind that murder, but he knew, and hell, he had a pretty good idea who did this, but he can't just point fingers, because he needs more clues.

Not everyone knew how that guy kills, but he knew very well that it was his doing, and he'd make sure he'd find evidences that would lead to him.

"_Still,"_ his eyes narrowed. _"I know what he's trying to tell me."_

The suspect didn't do a random murder, he knew Sasuke was in-charge of this mission in protecting the King and at the same time, he wanted to provoke the young Uchiha.

Out of all the people out there, Novices and First Jobs were easier to kill, even vendors who weren't alert of almost anything except for buyers. It would have been easier to kill a Blacksmith, or perhaps an Alchemist, but a Priest was hard to take down due to their high defense and divine protection, so why would the Assassin want to target a Priest?

There was only one answer, and Sasuke was the only one who knew it.

That victim's death was a message to him:

A Priest is dead.

A Priest was the targeted victim.

A Priest would be next.

A Priest would die again.

A Priest like…

"_Sakura..!"_

With that, he ran as if his life was clinging to it, because Sakura's life depended on it.

* * *

**Close Proximity**  
_**"**__**Protect and Abide"**_

_When given the power, one must be able to protect  
When given the authority, one must learn to abide.

* * *

_

A sneeze left her nose, and she blinked a few times before shrugging it off.

Her lips curved upwards to form a smile as she eyed herself on the full-length mirror.

She twirled around a bit, loving how the dress's lower part flowed freely.

It was a perfect fit, and she made a mental note to ask Sasuke about that tomorrow.

But for now, she would just enjoy how the silk material felt on her body, and how she just seemed to love it – as if she'd want to wear nothing else but this.

"_Or maybe because…"_ she flushed at the thought. _"No, I mean, I don't like him in that sense, right?"_ she giggled lightly. _"Well, he is hot."_ She looked at herself one more time, and then decided to try on a different hairstyle that would go well with the dress.

She took her brush and pulled out some of her headgears.

The hats were out of the option, so she was left with the Bell Ribbon, like earlier, but thought it was too plain. She went for the only hat that could possible suit it, the Sunday Hat, but again, it looked too… normal. She picked up a few more various types of pins and ribbons, but nothing fitted perfectly.

"Darn, if I had a Mystic Rose, it would go well with this."

The Mystic Rose was a headgear hard to make and find, and if ever you'd find someone who sold one, it would be too expensive.

"_Witherless roses aren't easy to find, even the 3 karat diamonds are hard to locate…"_ she sighed. Those were the two items that would be difficult to scavenge around Midgard, but the white dyestuffs would be easy to buy or make, provided you knew the right people.

She just kept everything back and settled to having her hair down while wearing the dress.

She smiled at her reflection, and then blinked when something shiny caught her eye.

"What's this..?" she peered closer, seeing a metallic blade of some sort, and as soon as she realized what it was, she took a step back and gasped, but her mouth was immediately covered by someone's hand, preventing her from yelling or calling the attention of her parents who were downstairs talking.

"Don't make a sound," she heard the man whisper, and she was horrified upon seeing his reflection. He was an Assassin, like Sasuke, yet she can't identify him. For one thing, she didn't know him, for another, his lower face was covered with a mask that every Assassin owns, and his head had a Pirate Bandana over it. "I'll make this painfully slow."

Her body trembled when she saw the sharp-looking jur slowly make its way over her stomach, the wielder teasing her as he made her tense.

"Sins normally just kill or play with their victims, but for you," she shut her eyes when he pressed his nose against her hair, inhaling the scent of Strawberries and Cream. "I'll fool around with your body after shredding your clothing bit by bit…"

She cried against his hand while trying to think of a way to get out of this situation, but she couldn't move – was it due to fear? Or was it because this guy held her firmly?

Whichever, she knew she had to get out if she wants to stay alive.

"You won't be needing this." he said, bringing the blade up at her necklace and pulling it off with one strong thug.

The silver cross fell onto the carpeted floor near her feet, and she tried to keep her faith strong by praying, not only for herself but also for this Assassin to stop, and that his darkened thoughts may be reachable.

"You won't need this either." He dragged the blade towards her chest, slowly bringing it down to make a cut on the clothing. "It'll be more fun to rip it, but where's the thrill in that if I make it fast?"

He managed to drag the blade down up until the middle of her chest, letting his eyes see her well developed breasts, but that wasn't what really caught his attention but rather the hand that grabbed his wrist.

"What the-" he got cut off when he felt his forehead get a head butt when his hostage ducked all of a sudden, and he staggered backwards and tried to regain his composure, only for his face to feel the wall next to him. He cried out in pain when his right hand was forcefully pulled behind him, while his left pounded on the wall, begging for mercy.

"Who sent you?" his captor seethed, the grip on his wrist tightening. "Tell me who the fuck sent you?!"

"U…Uchiha…" he glanced over his shoulder, seeing crimson red eyes glaring at him. "S…Sasuke…"

"Who fucking sent you?!"

He could feel how the younger Assassin was threatening to snap his wrist if he didn't talk, and from what he's heard and seen, Sasuke would do it.

"I… I don't know him!"

"Don't fucking lie to me you fucking bastard!"

Sakura's eyes widened when she heard a bone break, and she knew Sasuke just broke the man's wrist.

"I-I swear I don't know! He only told me to get rid of you! I swear!"

"Then why the hell did you target that Priest?! Why are you targeting Sakura?!"

"H-He told me to kill anyone connected to you! He… He said to kill anyone if it would lead to your death! I swear that's all! That's all!"

Though his broken wrist was painful, Sasuke increasing pressure on it made the pain much more unbearable.

"Why?"

"To get to King Sarutobi..!"

Sasuke let go of him, making him fall onto the floor and nurse his injury.

"What do we do with him?"

Sakura was surprised to see two more Sins standing in her room, on either side of Sasuke, eyeing the man who would have killed her.

"Should we dispose of him?" the other asked while raising a katar.

Sakura, though a victim of the suspect, attempted to stop them, but she was shocked to see Sasuke pull the guy on the back of his head and smash him onto the wall, making him unconscious.

"Uchiha?"

He let go of the man's head, uncaring as the unconscious Sin fell onto the floor.

Sakura's bedroom door burst open, and in came her parents.

Her father – a Champion. Her mother – A High Priestess.

"What is going on here?!"

Sakura looked at her father who demanded an answer.

"Sir, we-"

She saw how Sasuke stopped his companion from speaking.

"Get him to Phoenix Fire Guild's Morino Ibiki, he'll surely get some vital information."

"And what about them?"

"I'll handle it."

The two Sins nodded and took the fallen one, afterwards, nodded at the three Acolyte class people and took their leave.

Sasuke looked back at Sakura's parents and bowed down. "Sorry sir, but Sakura's life was in danger, we just captured the one responsible."

Sakura's mother immediately pushed her husband away and grabbed his shoulders, making him look up at her.

He didn't expect the High Priest to give such a wide smile.

"It is you!" she exclaimed. "You've grown so much already!" she looked back at Sakura. "Why didn't you tell me Sasuke was back?!"

Sakura just gave a small grin as her mother went back to rambling.

"Um… Kasumi-san," he said in a soft voice. "Sorry, I've been busy…"

"Oh but you've been gone for three years!" she sighed. "It wasn't the same without you whenever Naruto and Kakashi would visit."

She glanced at her husband. "Dear, don't you remember Sasuke?"

The Champion gave him a scrutinizing look, and then eyed his hair, his eyes, his build, and his left ear which had two earrings on the helix, while his right one had one earring of the same kind.

"Are you sure that's him?" he blinked. "I don't recall Sasuke wearing earrings…" he lowered his gaze. "Or having that build…"

Sasuke inwardly felt disturbed that Ikichi, Sakura's father, had took note of his form.

"Ikichi, it's Sasuke alright! I recognize those dark eyes!" she grinned.

"Sharp eyes as always Kasumi-san," he managed a small smile, and again, Sakura's cheeks flushed.

"You can't escape these eyes Sasuke." She said smugly. "Well dear?"

Ikichi suddenly patted the boy's shoulder. "What do you know?! You are back!" he looked at the wall and floor of his daughter's bedroom, where blood was found. "So… what exactly happened?"

"Someone is after Sarutobi-sama's life, and the suspect found out I'm leading the mission in keeping him and Midgard safe, so they want to take me out of the picture." He glanced at Sakura who just stood up from the floor. "They found out about the people I'm close with or connected to, so they intend to get to me by getting to them first."

"Then that means Naruto and Kakashi could be in danger as well!" Kasumi exclaimed.

"I wouldn't worry about Naruto that much, since he's living with Jiraiya-san, one of the legendary adventurers of Midgard. As for Kakashi, well, he's a skilled Sin-X, there's no need to worry." He looked back at Sakura. "As for Sakura, they managed to take her by surprise while the two of you are preoccupied with… whatever it is you were doing."

Ikichi looked at Sakura and asked if she was alright.

Sakura just nodded to her father and let him embrace her, Kasumi joining in, both obviously showing concern and worry for their daughter.

While the two adults were thinking about what could have happened, Sakura noted how Sasuke's eyes softened at the sight of the three of them, before turning away to perhaps hide something, but she saw it – she saw the longing he had in his eyes.

"_..Sasuke."_

"Well then," Ikichi turned back to Sasuke. "We owe our daughter's life to you, and I insist that we repay you for that." He wrapped an arm around Sakura and gave a soft sigh. "Our only child and daughter means everything to us."

"Oh geez dad…" Sakura pulled away and felt embarrassed.

"It's fine Ikichi-san," Sasuke said with a small smile. "There's no need to-"

"Nonsense!" Kasumi cut him off. "Hmm… you could at least perhaps want something?"

Sakura just watched her parents and Sasuke converse with a smile. _"Geez, as if Sasuke would have any requests. I mean, he can practically buy anything he wants."_

"I have a friend who sells those! No problem! I'll put in a good word for you!"

"Huh?"

Ikichi looked at his daughter. "Oh, Sasuke here was just in search for a three karat diamond."

* * *

A Dead Branch landed on the ground, and out came an Angeling.

It was an MVP type of monster, one that looks like a Poring, except it had a halo and a pair of angel wings.

"Holy shit! You're in the same level as an Angeling?!"

He frowned. "Wait a sec, Naruto; we can't summon MVPs with a Dead Branch, right?"

"How should I know?! I've never used a Dead Branch!"

"Ah well, get rid of it Shino."

"Why me?"

"You summoned it!"

"Kiba, you forced me to, remember?"

"Oh just kill it!"

Before the young Wizard could blast the monster to bits, someone had already gotten to it first.

It took only a few slashes to send the MVP monster to bits of jelly drops.

"Nice…" Naruto whistled, before looking at the Assassin responsible for it. "So why are you still a Sin again?"

"Hn." He retracted the blades of his Jur back and approached his guildmates. "I need a few more experience to get to the Sin-X level."

"Few…" Naruto repeated. "Ugh, I'm far from becoming a Paladin." He glanced behind Sasuke. "Oh, hey Sakura! Getting close to becoming a High Priest yet?"

She shook her head and sighed. "I've been so busy running errands for Tsunade-sensei that I barely get any training or _farming_ done."

_Farming_ or _farm _is a term used by adventurers to hunt specific monsters to acquire an item and keep them in stock or possibly sell them to earn money. Gemstones are one, and most adventurers travel far just to acquire the Yggdrasil Berry – a fruit that can bring a dead one back to life, provided he or she is not killed by a fellow adventurer.

Most adventurers do farming just to sell the items they get for those who are on a quest, or if the adventurer himself is on a quest.

"What're you farming for?" Kiba asked with crossed arms while leaning against his large pet wolf he named Akamaru.

"Blue gems." She murmured. "People lately sell them at such a high price, and I'm kind of broke right now."

"That's what you get for providing warp services or buffs for free." Naruto snorted. "I told you to charge them; it's a fast-earning business!"

Sakura glared at Naruto. "I did not become a Priestess for money."

"Well, most Acolyte classes charge adventurers for their services, you're probably one of the five percent who don't." Kiba pointed out while letting his falcon perch on his left shoulder. "So I guess we're lucky to have you as a friend."

"Five percent?" she raised a brow. "Come on now, that's not true."

"Okay," Shino entered the conversation. "Let's say ten percent."

"That still can't be right," she murmured. "Everyday, Father Bramph would remind us of our mission…"

"Not everyone obeys." Naruto grinned. "Welcome to the real world, Sakura."

She sighed and knelt to the floor. "I wonder what Tsunade-sensei thinks about this?"

"Pfft. Granny Tsunade is one of the ninety percent who charge people – unless you're someone she doesn't hate."

"And Shizune-san? What about Rin-san?"

"They're like you." Shino said.

"Well, at least there are some people I know who are like me." She glanced at Sasuke who was staring off somewhere. "You're awfully quiet."

"Hn."

She twitched.

"Bah. Teme is always silent." Naruto muttered.

"Well, he's an Assassin; they're not supposed to be noisy." Kiba said in an "as-a-matter-of-fact" tone.

"While we're waiting," Shino looked at Naruto. "What's this meeting for?"

"Eh? I don't know." He scratched the back of his head. "I only got a message to be here by seven, and old man Sarutobi isn't even here yet!"

He earned a hit on the head from both Sakura and Kiba.

"You're the guild leader! How can you not know the details?!"

"What Kiba said!"

Naruto hid behind Shino. "Ask teme!! He didn't want the position, so he gave it to me!"

The two turned to Sasuke, and so did Shino who had confused brows.

"I'm busy." He said simply, not making eye contact. "I'm juggling more than two missions."

"Wait, wait." Sakura walked over to him. "I thought your mission was to protect the King?"

"It still is." He said, eyeing her. "Including locating my brother, keeping Siege Breakers in order even if it's under the dead last's leadership, and a few other more requests from the Guild Master himself," he paused. "Something I can't refuse."

She frowned. "And yet you have enough time to buy me a dress and be here."

"Hn." He glanced elsewhere. "I don't really need to explain everything to you."

Though it wasn't supposed to mean anything other than that, Sakura felt as if he meant that he didn't need to tell her every detail of his life because she wasn't someone special. And that stung.

"Yeah," she mumbled, taking a few steps away from him. "You're right."

He kept his mouth shut, telling himself to not even think about correcting what he just said.

"_The lesser she knows, the safer she'll be."_ He thought. _"Ch. Annoying girl." _He shook his head.

All the training he underwent can be instantly forgotten just because of Sakura, so if he wasn't careful, he would only be leading her to her death.

Kiba cleared his throat to rid the awkward atmosphere between the two.

"So… Sasuke, do you know what this meeting is for?"

"I suggest you wait for the King to explain it." He said. "I can't tell you what I know."

He frowned. "So why is it that Naruto has no idea, and yet you do?"

"He's supposed to know, since he's the guild leader, so I'm not sure why." He answered. "As for me knowing, it's because I'm leading a team of Assassins in a mission to protect Sarutobi-sama."

"Ah, right." Kiba glanced at Naruto who was muttering to himself. "Any luck in locating the guy who wants him dead?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed all of a sudden, and the Hunter could feel how the temperature had dropped. "No."

* * *

"I'm sorry for calling you all here on such short notice," he coughed. "Not to mention making you wait for my arrival as well."

"You owe us for that you old gee-ow! Temeeee!"

"Shut. Up." He seethed.

Sarutobi's left lip twitched up to a half smirk. "Yes, well then, Sasuke, I know it's… protocol for you to keep things a secret, but I would like to know the details of last night."

He lowered his head slightly as his guildmates had looked at him with questioning eyes, excluding Sakura.

"And yes, Sasuke, I want everyone present in here to know."

"Which one?" he looked up at Sarutobi. "There were two incidents last night sir."

Sarutobi frowned. "I did not receive any reports about the second one."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Not even this morning?"

"None."

His fists clenched, and already, he was beginning to trust that gut feeling he was having.

"Sasuke..?"

"Did Morino Ibiki show up?"

Sarutobi showed a confused expression that made Sasuke's blood boil. "No one from the Phoenix Fire Guild has showed up last night or this morning Sasuke."

"Fuck." He turned around and ran off, not answering the multiple questions that his guildmates and the King had asked.

He dashed pass the people who were opening their shops, and when he spotted a growing crowd in the marketplace, he jumped to the roof of a nearby house. As he jumped to another one, he contacted his fellow Sins, receiving no reply until a minute later, and from what he could pick up, the female Sin was a bit far from where he was.

Static interrupted the communication, but he could hear a few words like where she was and who she was dealing with.

Izlude wasn't far, and he was thankful that he specializes in speed, since he was able to throw a dagger to stop the incoming knife that would have killed his comrade.

"Nika!" he called his fellow Sin who was kneeling on the floor, cuts all over her body, scarf lowered and Assassin mask torn to shreds. "What happened?" he asked, standing a few feet in front of her to prevent the opponent from getting to her.

"J-Jiro and… D-Dartan…" she said in a shaky voice, obviously worn out from fighting. "This guy… he killed them."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I knocked him out last night, how did that happen?!"

"Jiro and Dartan were ambushed by Rogues, and while they were successful in killing them, he…" she looked at the man who attacked Sakura the other night. "He woke up and took them by surprise."

"Ch." With one swift motion of his arms, the blades of his Jur extracted, and he got into a fighting position. "We'll discuss this later." And he ran towards the opposing Sin who was more than happy to fight another Sin.

Both their blades clashed, and they jumped away and ran back towards each other again.

Nika held onto her wounds and tried to stay awake, refusing to let her exhaustion knock her out.

She heard Sasuke's blade collide with the enemy's, the process repeating over and over, until she heard one of them cry out in pain.

Instantly, she raised her head to see Sasuke's left Jur pierced against the other Sin's right chest, impaling the man on the ground.

"Yield." Sasuke said with a glare. "Or I'll kill you this time."

A chuckle was what he received in response. "Kill me and you gain nothing." He snickered. "You're in dire need of information, aren't you?"

He pushed the blade deeper, making the man wince. "Then let me rephrase what I just said," he leaned lower. "Yield or I'll make sure you suffer."

"Y-You don't…" he coughed out blood. "Scare me… Uchiha…"

"Let's change that then." His eyes shifted to red, and he twisted his Jur a bit to make the man writhe and cry out, feeling the pain of his critical injury.

"F-Fuck you… Uchiha…"

He stabbed the guy's left thigh with his other Jur harshly, afterwards, dragged the blade down in a slow manner, stopping just above the knee.

"You fucking bastard!!"

He pulled the Jur out and stabbed the man's arm, doing the same thing until the elbow.

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" he yelled. "I give up! Fuck! I give up!!"

Sasuke's eyes returned to onyx, and he pulled his weapons out and got rid of the blood that coated them with one swipe of his arms. He retracted the blades and pressed a button on his communicator. "Get me Kosui and Yuriko."

He received a reply from one of the Sins he contacted, and soon, the two Sins he requested for had arrived.

"Get this guy to Sarutobi-sama's throne room, and make sure he gets there this time."

"Roger." Kosui picked the badly injured man up after Yoriko had wrapped the wounds up to keep the suspect from losing more blood. "What about Nika?"

Sasuke glanced at Nika before approaching her and letting his back face her. "Get on."

"I'm fine." She said, attempting to get up, only to stumble back down.

"Just get on."

She flinched from his tone and did what she was told; afterwards, all three Sins that can move took off and headed towards Sarutobi's throne room.

* * *

To say that the King was stunned would be an understatement.

No, the King wasn't just surprised, he was also speechless.

"We apologize, sir," one guard said. "But they just… dashed in."

Sarutobi blinked a few times before shaking his head, afterwards, told the guards to leave. He looked at Sasuke who was covered in blood, but seeing that he was fine, it meant that it was his victim's blood. His eyes went over to the two Sins who carried the wounded suspect, and then studied the female Sin that Sasuke carried on his back earlier.

"When you suddenly bolted out of this room, you gave us quite a shock, but when you came back… well," he cleared his throat. "First things first," he glanced at Sakura. "Would you please heal the young lady?"

Sakura nodded and walked over to Nika who bowed her head in gratitude.

The pink-haired Priestess only smiled lightly and did her job, all the while observing the young Sin who had shoulder-length brown hair and a stellar clip as a headgear. Her eyes were a shade of violet, a rare color and also quite beautiful.

"Me too!! PLEASE! HEAL ME TOO!!"

Sakura nearly jumped from the sudden outburst of the wounded Sin who tried to kill her last night.

"F-Forgive me for trying to kill you last time! But I was only doing my job! Honest! Please… Please heal me! I can't bear the pain anymore! Plea-Auuugh!!!"

Sakura's eyes widened when she saw how Kosui had just stomped onto the man's back, making him lie on the floor, face first.

The other members of Siege Breakers were speechless with this display, though Neji and Shino seemed to be unaffected, the former having been on a few missions with Sasuke before and knows how Sins act, and the latter knowing that this is a part of a Sin's job.

"F-Fuck! U-Uchiha! You said if I give in-"

"I said give in or suffer, I never said I'd let you be healed if you yield." He reminded.

"T-That's not f-fair!"

In the blink of an eye, a hard kick was given to the man's head.

"Sasuke! Stop!" Sakura yelled. "At this rate, he'll die!"

He turned to her sharply. "Don't tell me what to do."

She was stumped from the harsh tone he had, and Nika placed a hand on her shoulder to awaken her from her stupor.

"Sakura-san," she said. "Sasuke is an expert Assassin, the wounds he inflicted on this man are painful, but they won't kill him."

"But… but this is torture!"

She nodded. "It is needed to get the information about Sarutobi-sama's killer," her eyes softened. "Please understand that it is not easy for him as well."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, seeing his eyes.

They may have been glaring, but she can see how he didn't want to do this.

"And right now," Nika continued. "He is angered by the fact that this man tried to kill you, and even managed to kill two of our comrades last night, and is told that he isn't being fair."

"W…what..?"

Nika glanced at Sasuke, who gave her a nod, so she stood up and bowed to the King.

"Sir, if it's alright, I would like to speak on behalf of Sasuke."

"What's wrong with Sasuke?" Naruto asked with a confused look.

"Idiot," Neji commented. "He's busy."

Naruto raised a brow. "Busy torturing?"

"Trying to get information." Shino answered.

"No, it's not that." Kosui said in a low voice while stepping away from the suspect when Sasuke told him to. "Nika is the one who knows the details of what happened to our comrades, she has been pursuing the suspect since dawn."

"Your highness," Nika began. "You've been informed about a Priest found dead at Prontera castle, correct?"

"Yes."

"Sasuke knew who was behind it, and he figured out the message behind it," she took a quick glance at Sakura. "The next target was supposedly Haruno Sakura, and I presume this is the information that did not get to you?"

Sarutobi's eyes widened at this, and he nodded.

"Sasuke managed to stop her death from happening and assigned two Sins to take the suspect before Morino Ibiki for further question, however, the two Sins, Jiro and Dartan, were ambushed by a group of Rogues, and the suspect took advantage of the situation by killing them." She lowered her head. "This is based from a witness I cannot reveal, and after engaging the suspect, he himself confessed that he was the one who killed our two comrades. Had Sasuke not been able to contact me, he wouldn't have found out what happened and was happening."

Sarutobi felt a sweat trickle down his face. "Is that why…" he looked at Sasuke. "You suddenly ran off?"

"Aa."

Nika looked at the King. "Sasuke knew that Jiro and Dartan wouldn't defy the Assassin guild, or even attempt to disobey an order given to them, especially by Sasuke." She looked towards the suspect. "When Sasuke found out that you weren't aware of what had happened, he already knew of Jiro and Dartan's fate."

"Sarutobi-sama," Sasuke called, looking at the King. "I'm sorry but… I'll have to be absent for this meeting," he glared down at the suspect. "I'm not taking any more chances."

"In that case…" Sarutobi coughed. "You may go."

"Kosui." Sasuke walked off after Kosui had nodded and knelt down next to the suspect. He then brought out a dagger and used the handle to knock the suspect out; afterwards, he and Yoriko carried him again while Nika followed Sasuke out of the door.

"Well then," Sarutobi looked at the rest of Siege Breakers. "I guess… that part of the meeting is over."

"Wait, Sakura was almost killed?!" the young blonde dancer rushed to her friend's side. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I'm sorry Ino, I…" she looked away. "I… Sasuke said to keep it a secret until the King was informed."

"Why would that be kept a secret even from us?!"

"I don't know Naruto," Sakura said. "I honestly don't know."

Neji sighed. "Simple," he uncrossed his arms. "His famous motto: _The lesser you know, the safer you'll be_."

Sakura looked back at the door where Sasuke had exited.

"_Is that why…" _she brought her hands up to her chest. _"You told me that you don't need to explain everything to me..?"  
_

* * *

He sighed and let himself sit on the bench located at the center of Prontera.

Interrogating a suspect was usually hard, but when it came to him, it was easy.

Torturing suspects was one of the things Sins must do to gain vital information, but making them suffer without accidentally killing them is a skill not too many possess.

The Guild Master had chosen him to lead the team because of that rare skill he has.

He remembered having sparred with the Master once, and how the older man had commented his skills.

He recalled how the Master had told him that he wants him to someday take over his position, an offer Sasuke couldn't accept.

Still, the Master said that he still had a lot of time to think about it, and up until now, Sasuke can't see why he was offered that position.

"You remind him of his son."

He opened his eyes and glanced at the female Sin who had her arms crossed.

She smiled. "I heard from older Sins that the Master hasn't been like this since his son died after Satan Morroc's resurrection." She looked to the side. "His son had volunteered to lead a team of Assassins to defend Morroc from the monster, yet at the cost of his own life."

He looked straight ahead at the empty street.

"The Master blames himself for his son's death, and has become a harsh leader ever since then; until, that is…" she looked at him. "You came and took the test."

"Where's the resemblance?" he asked with slightly narrowed eyes. "I don't look like him, and I don't have the same skills he possessed."

"What the Master saw in you, he also saw in his son." She sat down next to him. "You possess a drive no other Sin has; you have the same eyes that his son had."

"And…" he glanced at her with a smirk. "Why is it that you know all this?"

She managed a small grin. "The Master likes talking about you a lot."

"Hn." He kept his gaze forward again. "If he adopted you, why can't you take his place instead?"

"I'm not fit to be a Master, Sasuke." She said. "In fact, I wouldn't even become an Assassin if it wasn't for him."

"What did you plan on becoming then?"

"A Crusader," she admitted. "I not only fight, but also heal."

"That depends on your build and training."

"Yeah well, who says I can't be flexible?" she quirked a brow at him. "You're a Crit Sin, and yet you handled that dagger pretty well."

"I was saving your life; a mistake was out of the option."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." She shrugged. "Anyway," she patted his shoulder. "Being the Master's adopted daughter and sort-of messenger, he says too many things about you, and really hopes you'd take his place someday."

"I really don't want to." He said. "I don't like the idea of leading an Assassin guild and waiting for new recruits everyday."

"You'd rather go on missions and such, I know."

"Hn." He stood up. "I need to get back to SB."

"The guild you refused to lead." She let herself laugh for a short while. "And… anyway, I know you want to go back to her, not to SB."

He instantly turned his head to her as she stood up and smiled at him over her shoulder.

"Nika, how did…"

"She's really pretty, Sasuke." And she nodded once to him before taking her leave.

* * *

"I told you, he's not here!"

He still gave him a skeptical look.

"What do I have to do to make you believe me, damn it!"

The child just crossed his arms and searched the whole guild for his favorite Assassin.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!"

"Do I look like Inari?" he muttered without meeting the Crusader's gaze. "And I still don't get why he picked you to lead Siege Breakers."

"You're testing my patience, kid."

"_What_ patience?"

"Argh!! That's it!!" he was about to grab the little Thief-to-be when someone had grabbed his cape and pulled him back. "Wha-?!"

"What are you doing here?"

"There you are!" the child grabbed the Sin's arm. "Come on! The others are waiting!" he tugged and tugged but the Sin didn't move. "Sasuke-nii!"

"Not until you answer me."

He sighed and looked at the Sin. "Everyone in the guild is busy, so no one can tank us novices, so… I sort of said I'd get a Tanker."

He narrowed his eyes at the child.

"Whaaaat?!"

"Naruto, what did Sarutobi-sama say?"

"Hey, hey! I'm supposed to be asking you questions!"

"What. Did. He. Say."

He gulped. "Um… something about protecting and abiding."

"What?"

"Protecting the citizens of Midgard while abiding by the rules!"

"Hn."

"Now, what the hell was the whole thing earlier about?!"

"I think you can get the answer from witnessing what just happened."

"I meant about Sakura!"

"…What about Sakura?"

"Why didn't you tell me she was targeted?!"

"Protocol."

"Protocol?! Screw protocol! I'm your teammate!"

"You're my guildmate and guild leader," he said. "Nothing else." He walked pass Naruto. "Come on Kishiro. Let's get this over with."

The blonde Crusader was stunned from Sasuke's answer. He didn't think the Sin considered him as just that and not a best friend, not even a friend.

"_Sasuke…" _his brows furrowed. _"What the hell happened to you?"  
_

* * *

"Sasuke-nii, are you sure this is really okay?"

"Of all the times you've pestered me to help you, why hesitate when I finally agree?"

He bit his lower lip. "You just seem… tired, is all."

Sasuke looked at Kishiro. "That wasn't what you intended to say."

Kishiro sat down and eyed the now dead Spore, the creepy red Fungus no longer bouncing up and down. "Well, yeah." He looked at the rest of his fellow Novices who all had their own Spores to deal with, the monsters trying to land a hit on Sasuke who didn't even flinch from the small attacks the low level monsters gave. "I was going to say distant… or cold…"

"What made you change your mind?"

"I thought it was impossible," he looked up at his favorite Sin of all time. "Since despite being an Assassin, you're never harsh to me or to anyone, but today, you have this look in your eyes that… I don't know, makes me nervous and uneasy to be around you." He paused. "You even… snapped at Naruto-nii."

Sasuke pondered over the novice's words before answering. "When you become a Sin," his eyes narrowed slightly. "You're taught a few things to follow, and when you forget to follow those rules, you will realize it the hard way or perhaps be able to prevent something bad from happening, yet fail to stop the worst."

"I… don't get it."

"Hn." He glanced at Kishiro's curios eyes and ruffled the boy's head. "You will someday."

"How about today?"

Sasuke did not waste any time to kill the Spores that the other novices had trouble finishing off, afterwards, kept them behind him with his Jur ready for a fight.

"Or maybe… never?"

He glared at the three Ninjas before him, one having a blue band around his head while the other had his face covered in bandages, save for one lone eye. The only female of the group had a ribbon that held her hair in a loose and low ponytail.

"Looks like even Ninjas turn to the dark side." He commented. "Let me guess, you want me dead to get to the King faster."

"Yes, our other… _friend_… failed to do so." The bandaged one spoke. "You are a famous Assassin, so it's not very hard locating you."

"Hn. The price I have to pay for my fame." He smirked. "So, who are you guys again?"

The one with the blue band twitched. "I'll wipe that smirk off your face, Uchiha." He started running at top speed to him, and Sasuke had to use Grimtooth to keep the Ninja away.

"Get out of here while you still can." He glanced at the novices. "All of you."

"But-"

"Now." He dropped a few Butterfly Wings to them and ran towards the three Ninjas.

Kishiro held onto the item and eyed his friends. "Let's go."

"But what about Sasuke-nii?"

"We'll only burden him, let's go, now." He waited for them to activate the Butterfly Wings, and soon, he too, tossed it to the floor.

"No you don't!"

He felt a string wrap his body and tug him away from the area where the item would have safely taken him home. He flinched as the thin wires had hurt him, and he struggled to try to get out of the female Ninja's hold.

Caught you," she took out a kunai and pressed the tip of it near his neck. "Dosu! Zaku!"

The two male Ninjas backed away and turned to their female companion, smirking when they spotted her holding a boy hostage.

Sasuke cursed and lowered his arms.

"This is why Sins aren't supposed to tank novices," Zaku, the one with a blue band around his head, said. "Especially famous Sins like you."

"Now then," Dosu glanced at his comrade. "Either you drop your weapons or Kin here kills the child."

"Don't even dare."

"You're in no position to argue, Uchiha." Kin said, pressing the blade against Kishiro. "So don't tempt me to slit this child's throat." She smirked. "Or would you prefer to wallow in guilt for having an innocent child's blood spilled?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes before lowering his head slightly in defeat.

"Alright, drop your weapons." Dosu demanded.

He let his Jur go, the weapon hitting the ground with a thud.

"Step a few feet forward and away from your Jurs."

He did.

"Keep your hands above your head and kneel to the ground."

He glanced at Kin and Kishiro. "Let him go first."

"Not until you drop to your knees and keep your hands on your head." Zaku snarled.

"I dropped my weapons and stepped away from it," he said. "I think it's only fair that you follow _one_ request from me."

"Alright," Dosu nodded to Kin. "Let him go."

Kin looked hesitant, but she did, and Kishiro immediately ran away from Kin's reach yet remained to see what would happen to Sasuke.

Sasuke soon knelt to the ground and placed both hands on his head.

"Now, hold still while we get rid of you."

The Sin glanced at Kishiro, and the novice saw him mouth the words: Leave now.

Instead, Kishiro ran towards Sasuke's weapons and tossed them to the Sin.

"Sasuke-nii!"

The three Ninjas cursed and sprang into action, Kin diving towards the child who tossed something on the ground, causing smoke to erupt while Zaku and Dosu tossed their large Shuriken towards Sasuke.

They smirked once they heard a body fall to the floor, including the scent of blood invading their nostrils.

"Mission Accomplished." Dosu said as he and Zaku both landed back on the ground.

"Not quite."

"What the-" Zaku got cut off when he felt something stab him from behind, afterwards, he fell to the ground, coughing out blood.

"Zaku!" Dosu turned his head from right to left, taking out a few kunai at that, afterwards, performed a few hand seals and pressed his hand onto the ground. "Crimson Fire Formation!" flames erupted from the ground, with Dosu and Zaku being in the center. Dosu looked around, his lone eye widening when he saw Kin's carcass on the ground, both his and Zaku's weapon being the cause of her death. _"Shit."_

"Grimtooth!"

Dosu turned to his left where earth spikes charged yet was stopped by the flame that surrounded him.

The fire, however, died down upon impact, and another set of earth spikes were heading towards them.

Dosu carried Zaku and jumped to the air, avoiding a direct hit.

"I was hoping for that."

He was shocked upon sensing the Sin's presence behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to see blood red eyes.

"Uchiha…"

"Sonic Blow!"

* * *

He cleaned out the desk full of bottles and potions with one swipe of his wand, causing the female Professor to sigh softly and mumble something about a month's worth of research down the drain.

"Must I send the whole army to get that Assassin off my back?!"

"Calm down," the Professor said, afterwards, turned to her comrades. "Say something you guys."

"Hmph." A Sin-X straightened himself up. "I told you to send me instead."

"You failed to kill the King, Zabuza, how can I be rest assured you'll be successful in killing Uchiha?"

"Well, those weaklings you sent didn't even last for ten minutes." He said. "And besides, I only failed because I didn't think Uchiha would be there to protect the King."

"Or…" the Professor spoke. "We could just lay low for now and catch him off-guard."

"Like that'll happen," Zabuza snorted. "Sins don't just relax, and au contraire, you'll only make him more suspicious if you lay low."

"Then what do you propose? Just take him out?"

"Unlikely." Zabuza admitted. "That kid is being offered the position of Guild Master in the Assassin Guild and at such a young age too, so he isn't one to be underestimated."

"Then come up with a plan or strategy to wipe him off the face of the planet!"

"Boss, calm down, seriously." The Sin-X said.

"I'll leave all of you, the main members, to deal with him." He turned his back to them. "And I don't want to see any of you unless you're informing me of that brat's death – kill anyone who gets in the way."

* * *

"Kishiro!!"

He put the Novice down when his mother engulfed the child into a hug.

"I was so worried when Seiko came and told me what had happened."

"Geez mom…" he murmured, a bit embarrassed. "Sasuke-nii won't let anything happen to me."

Kishiro's mother looked up at Sasuke and smiled. "Thank you, Sasuke."

"It's nothing." He said, watching as Kishiro ran towards Seiko who was with his guild leader, Kaiza, also known as Inari's stepfather. "He actually saved my life today."

She looked from her son to the Assassin. "He looks up to you a lot, Sasuke." She confessed. "There hasn't been a day that he doesn't talk about you."

"Hn. That explains the random sneezes."

"Oh you." She laughed lightly before her smile disappeared. "Sasuke, really, what is happening? I'm starting to worry about you."

"You don't have to be worried," he said. "It's nothing."

"Is that what you say to everyone?"

He didn't have an answer to that one.

"I know you're an Assassin," she placed a hand on his shoulder. "My father, brother, and even husband were Assassins too."

Sasuke nodded, indicating that he knew who they were, and how they died.

"And I'm scared that someday, Kishiro will meet the same fate, yet how can I stop him? He has his father's attitude." She shook her head. "What's more, he wants to be like you."

"Kishiro can't be like me." He said. "He's already better."

"What made you say so?"

He eyed the child who waved at him. "I told him to run, but he didn't." his gaze softened. "He managed to think of a way to win, whereas I just gave up."

"You never give up Sasuke."

"I did earlier." He said.

"To save his life, I presume." She smiled. "It's not called giving up, it's called being a savior." She pulled her hand away from his shoulder and bowed down slightly to bid him goodbye. "And for that, you're a true adventurer of Midgard."

* * *

A sigh escaped her lips when she spotted him approaching. "It's about time you got here."

She was taken aback when he tossed her something, but she managed to catch the item.

"Sasuke, what…"

"It would go well with your dress." He muttered without making eye contact.

She blinked and looked at the Mystic Rose headgear in her hands.

"I… kind of saw you go through the hassle of choosing a headgear."

"Don't you mean _spied_?"

"Whatever."

She smiled. "Why did you get me one?"

"I don't know." He said. "But I do know one thing." He looked at her. "I can keep you safer if I keep you closer."

She was surprised at what he said, and she had to raise a brow and smirk. "What happened to the whole: the lesser you know, the safer you'll be?"

"Outdated." He looked at the statue of Sarutobi, and then at the plaque on the stand.

There was only one simple rule that the King required Adventurers to follow, yet not too many obey it.

_Protect the innocent with your lives; abide for what is right and not what's wrong._

"And when did you realize that?" she asked while keeping the new headgear she got from him.

"Just a while ago." He turned back to her. "Why are we here again?"

She smiled. "Nothing, you won't be needing the lecture I planned." She ignored his confused look and grabbed his arm. "Now, come on! I'm hungry!"

"Hn, you're paying for your own meal."

"Don't be so cheap!"

"Your dress and headgear cost me a lot."

"I'm not the one dumb enough who spent for them!"

"Shut up."_  
_

* * *

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Another chapter done!**_

_**Apathetic Silence: If you've read CrAzY-SiLLy-Me's story, **__**Resistance**__**, then the guild name "Phoenix Fire" isn't new to you.**_


	4. Baphomet's Curse

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **__Duuude... you shouldn't forget I'm only human.  
_

_**Apathetic Silence: **__Well you told me you were almost done, so I told you to finish it soon.  
_

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **If I catch a cold, I'm blaming you.  
_

_**Apathetic Silence: **Yeah, yeah. You won't. Just sleep it off._

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **__Feh...

* * *

_

Not even the cold air or the harsh ice could hide the scent of blood.

But to not know whose blood it was made it much more terrifying.

One could not exactly tell if it was a human who was killed or devoured, for there was no carcass or skeleton to verify the assumption.

Not all monsters that dwell in Midgard have blood, not to mention that there wasn't a single trace of struggle.

Trudging through the deep snow, an armor-clad Knight hiked up to their Chief. He stabbed his spear on the snowy ground and looked up at the back of the taller and bulkier man.

"Sir, what do we do?"

The Paladin who led the team of Knights up in the mountains glanced at the younger adventurer.

"The others have searched the perimeter, but there's no sign of what or who did this."

It took a few seconds to pass before he replied to the Knight.

"We need to warn the townspeople of Xmas Land." He murmured with furrowed brows and eyes staring at the browning bloodstain. "Also, send a messenger to travel to Prontera and inform the King."

"Understood." The Knight went back to the rest and told them of their Chief's orders.

As the Paladin listened to the cries of Peco-Pecos, and how their talons kept them from submerging beneath the thick snow, he traced the large scar on his face and grimaced at the memories of the harsh battle he and other adventurers have had against Satan Morroc.

"_Surely, this isn't another summoning of a demon."_ He closed his eyes and knelt down on one knee before the spilt blood. _"My dear God, please, send your angels to protect us, send the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us strength."

* * *

_

**Close Proximity**_**  
"**__**Baphomet's Curse"**_

_Blessings bring Joy while Curses bring Sorrow  
Like any other spells, there will always be a way to counter.

* * *

_

He twitched as three sets of puppy dog eyes pleaded him non-stop.

"No." he said yet again.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please..?"

He just kept his mouth shut and glared at the three First Jobs who sighed in defeat.

"Come on! You tanked us last time!"

"Hn." He closed his eyes and chose to block out Kishiro (now a Thief) and the Takezawa twins' (Seika being an Acolyte and Seiko now an Archer) voices.

Normally, the younger twin, Seiko, would be quiet and obedient, but this time, he was very persuasive.

Kishiro shouldn't have told him what had happened when those three Ninjas attacked.

"Sasuke!"

He nearly jumped from Naruto's loud voice.

"Ch. Dead last." He grunted and pressed the communicator that was against his ear. "What?"

"We're needed by the old geezer!"

"Hn. On my way." He looked back at the children. "I need to go; you three better not cause trouble."

"Who do you think I am? Konohamaru?"

"Hn." He tossed Kishiro an apple to pacify the kid, as well as two more to the twins. "Don't even attempt to play _Thief_ again." And he jumped towards a rooftop and hopped to another, repeating the process until he reached Prontera castle.

As always, since he wasn't part of the Acolyte or Swordsman class, the two guards needed to check the items he had with him, as well as made him discard his weapons.

He followed wordlessly and kept the Jurs in his backpack, afterwards walked inside while taking long strides towards the throne room.

He expected to see the other members of Siege Breakers, but as soon as he was getting closer to his destination, he sensed only a few people present, and he wondered why.

"Sorry to call you back once more."

"It's fine." He answered the King who stood up as soon as he set foot into the room.

Sasuke's eyes scanned the area, seeing Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata present.

"Well then," Sarutobi cleared his throat once again, ridding the itch that was irritating him. "I just received word from Xmas Land." He gave a solemn look. "And… it's tragic news."

"Why?" Hinata asked in a soft voice.

"There have been a number of deaths occurring in the cold mountains, yet the Paladin in-charge for the town's security can't confirm if the victims were humans or smaller monsters." He rubbed his chin with his thumb. "Maybe pets of the townspeople…"

"Wait, isn't there any evidence?" Naruto asked with furrowed brows. "And who could be responsible for such an act?"

"There have been sightings of the monster, a creature so large and deadly, horrifying…" he mumbled. "From what the witnesses have claimed, the Paladin assumed it to be a Baphomet."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "That can't be."

The others turned their attention to him when he spoke.

"Baphomets don't appear in cold areas, they can't survive the climate."

"Yes, and surprisingly, this one did, and I doubt it's an ordinary Baphomet." Sarutobi gave a silent sigh. "Those creatures may attack humans, even kill any living being, but Baphomets don't feed on them, right?"

"As far as I know," Sasuke lowered his head in thought. "Baphomets feed on animal meat, more known as Pet Food to pet owners." He crossed his arms and turned back to the King. "Did Orochimaru say anything about this?"

"I asked, but even he's stumped, why else do you think I told Naruto to contact you?"

"An Assassin that can rival the intelligence of a Professor or Biochemist…" Naruto muttered under his breath. "Geez, you ought to be a Hybrid, teme."

Sasuke ignored Naruto's comment. "So you want us to investigate, correct?"

"As what Naruto said, you are as smart as the Professors and Biochemists." Sarutobi smiled slightly. "What do you think of the people Naruto has gathered?"

Sasuke looked at the Crusader, Monk, and Priestess.

"Risky but effective." He said. "Naruto can play as both offense and defense, whereas Hinata plays offense and Sakura is on defense, but…"

"But what..?" Naruto asked, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Hn. We're dealing with a demon type of monster here, so I don't really understand why you called for me."

"Eh? But-"

"Sakura and Hinata have a better advantage of taking down the monster, and Naruto can tank them until it is dead; I won't be doing much damage to that thing."

"Yeah but…" he frowned. "Come on teme, it's no fun without you! Besides, we'd be much more at ease having you around!" he grinned, and Sakura slapped her forehead at that. "Erm… what I mean is… no, we're not that dependent on you and… well… uh…"

Sarutobi chuckled. "Sasuke, really, you forget how much Naruto secretly wants to be like you."

Sasuke smirked. "Does he?"

"Ahhh shut up teme!" Naruto fumed. "It's not true alright? I just happen to want your opinion! But who cares? Not me!"

"Hn." He glanced at Sarutobi. "And what does your highness think of this arrangement?"

"To put it bluntly," he eyed the three. "They'll have a higher chance of survival if you tag along, because from what I've been told, you are ahead of them in terms of experience, skill, and level."

"You're not a very good liar, sir."

Sarutobi just smiled. "I'd rather not be _too _blunt."

"Huh..? What?" Naruto blinked. "Come on 'ya old man! Tell us your honest opinion already!"

"Very well." He coughed once more and gave them a serious look. "Naruto, you're brave but reckless. Hinata, you're strong, but too shy and hesitant to test it out. Sakura, you're smart but helpless on your own."

"And teme?" Naruto grumbled, teeth gritting.

"I would have said he needs to rely more on teammates or support, but Kishiro has already taught him that two days ago, correct?"

"Hn."

Hinata nodded, accepting what the King said while Naruto complained about his. As for Sakura, she just chose to remain quiet and lower her head.

"_I'm helpless, huh?" _she sighed. _"Even against a Phreeoni, I had to rely on Naruto and Sasuke to save me, not to mention back then… I always stood by and watched them get rid of the monsters…"_

"Also, there is one weakness all of you share that can become your strength." He gave a mischievous smile. "However, I will not tell you what it is. You must find out on your own."

* * *

"Hmph." He kicked a pebble on the way. "He thinks he's sooooooo wise with his lectures and stuff and… bah!"

"Naruto, give it a rest."

"Easy for you to say, teme! He didn't say anything bad about you!"

"Hn. He would have if I hadn't gone with Kishiro and the others."

"Why are you always ahead of me anyway? For once I'd actually like to catch up to you, you know?"

"Whatever." He stopped walking once they reached the Kafra of Prontera, who greeted them all kindly and asked what they needed.

"Just him, we're good." Naruto said while pointing at Sasuke, afterwards, went to talk to Hinata and Sakura, the former nodding once in a while whereas the latter just kept quiet.

As soon as Sasuke was done with his equipments and the necessary items for the trip, he turned back to his guildmates.

"Here." He tossed them each two Elite Siege Boxes, an item which contained fifty white potions and thirty blue potions per box, all contained in small test tubes.

White potions were to restore health or heal wounds, whilst blue potions were for mana regeneration: something crucial for adventurers who rely on their skills more, and apparently, Sasuke is with three people who specialize in magic attacks than physical ones.

"Um… where did you get these?" Hinata asked. "I remember these were only given to those who won some sort of contest…"

"Hn." He took another item out of his bag. "You mean the Valentine's Day contest last year."

"Right, that one." The Monk nodded, and then stopped upon realizing something. "Oh… okay."

Sakura turned a bit red at that yet still remained quiet, whereas Naruto just gaped.

"But… but…" he pointed at Sasuke. "Only five guys are able to receive these boxes!"

"Hn. Twenty boxes of them to be specific."

"Then… you were part of the top five guys!"

"Hn. Top one."

"What?" Naruto cried out. "You? Top one? ONE?"

"Can you be any louder?" he handed them each a Fox Mask. "Anyway, I bet Naruto didn't tell anyone about this."

Naruto took the mask and cursed. "I forgot about this."

"What's with the masks?" Sakura asked, letting hers hang from the side of her head.

"Only a handful knows who the members of SB are, especially since Sarutobi-sama gave us a special mission." He looked at Naruto. "Which, again, you forgot to mention."

"Alright already!" He grumbled. "I'll contact the others about it…" he tapped his communicator and pressed the first button so that the message he'll be saying will be heard by guild members only.

"Guys, I keep forgetting to tell you what SB's main goal – or rather, secret mission is." He waited for a few responses from some members before continuing. "We'll be acting as vigilantes from now on, but before we spring into action, we need to wear Fox Masks. If you have one, then bring it with you wherever you go, and keep in mind to wear it each time you plan on saving someone. Also, I've heard rumors about a few Swordsmen classes throwing their weight around on bystanders, kids, the elderly, and novices, including the first jobs."

"I didn't know about that." Hinata said softly.

"Since Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke and I will be out on a mission in Xmas Land, I'll leave everything to you guys, alright?"

"One question," Kiba spoke from the communicator. "What if we don't have Fox Masks?"

"Look for Nika, Kosui, or Yoriko." Sasuke answered for Naruto. "They'll provide you with them while I'm gone."

"Exactly how many of those things do you have?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

"Excluding ours, twenty-five."

"Why?"

"Hn. Guild provides it in case they break."

"And you're giving it away for free..?"

He smirked. "Says who?" he then extended out his hand to Naruto.

"…How much?" he asked begrudgingly.

"Five hundred thousand."

"W-What?"

Sasuke raised a brow. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to gather 999 ninetails? The monster itself doesn't appear often."

"I thought you said they were from your Assassin guild?"

"They are and I come from that guild. So obviously, we do the quest."

"This is too costly." He paid the right amount, muttering how he's left with only twenty thousand.

"Hn. If you buy that elsewhere, it would cost you almost a million."

Hinata wordlessly handed her payment, but Sasuke shook his head.

"Neji paid for yours."

"I'd have to pay him back then."

"No need to, it was from your father."

Hinata just sighed and gave a small smile, saying how her father will never change.

Sakura tugged on Sasuke's scarf lightly yet kept her head lowered.

"Um… yeah, can I… pay you the rest some other time? I only have fifteen thousand right now."

She didn't expect to receive a pat on the head from him.

"You don't have to worry about it."

Naruto's ears twitched. "TEMEEE! WHY DOES SAKURA GET HERS FOR FREE?"

"We better get going."

"TEME DON'T IGNORE ME!"

* * *

"Sir!"

The Paladin immediately tugged onto the reigns of his Grand Peco-Peco and glanced at the Knight who was fast approaching him while riding the same creature yet of lower breed.

"What is it?"

"Another sighting has been reported, and with it, another victim!"

His brows narrowed but his eyes widened.

"Up until now, witnesses can't tell if the victim was a human or another animal!"

"Take me to the site, right this instant!"

"Yes sir!"

The Knight led the Paladin towards the exit of the village, passing by people who all turned their attention towards him, already knowing what has happened yet again.

They arrived further up the mountains, and trails of blood soon came into sight, as well as hoof prints.

"_So it really is true…"_ a trail of sweat trickled down his cheek. _"It has risen from its slumber."_

"There!"

He looked up at where the Knight pointed, and they were surprised to see the three Knights that were assigned to keep watch no longer there, yet their swords and spears lay on the snowy ground. Feathers of Peco-Pecos were scattered and even torn capes and wrecked armors were lying motionless on the surface of snow.

"Good Lord…" The Paladin uttered, both he and the Knight unfeeling towards the cold climate, for they were overwhelmed with sorrow for the lost of their comrades.

"Sir… what do we do?"

"We…" He steadied himself and narrowed his eyes at the trail before them. "We find that cursed monster and end its life, once and for all."

"But sir, you and I both know we don't stand a chance against it on our own."

"It won't matter," he drew out his sword. "I refuse to wait for it to feast on its next victim." He kicked the sides of the large bird he rode, and the creature cried out first before running towards the path it was led to go to, the Knight wordlessly following behind on his own Peco-Peco.

* * *

The expression on his face did not change as they continued hiking up the mountain.

Since he wasn't familiar with the route towards Xmas Land, he had no choice but to follow his friends instead. Problem is, the girls didn't know how to get there except via teleportation, and apparently, Sakura still has no stock of Blue gems. And even if she did, she only had warp points in Prontera, Morroc, Amatsu, and Geffen. As for Sasuke, the only path he knows is through the mountains, which, for Naruto, is kind of hard to believe, since people can get lost when trekking.

"Are we there yet..?"

"No."

He frowned at the negative response from the Assassin.

"I should have brought my Peco-Peco."

"It'll only have a hard time traveling."

"And how do _you_ know that?"

"Because it hails from Prontera and is not used to this terrain." He glanced at Naruto. "Any more questions?"

"Don't be such a grouch."

"Hn. You're distracting me." He stopped for a while and eyed the area, aware of how both Sakura and Hinata were shivering from the cold. _"Sakura is prone to cold temperatures, whereas Hinata hasn't been here more than once, so she has yet to adapt to it." _He glanced at Naruto who seemed pretty warm underneath the thick and heavy armor. _"No problem with the dobe, and as for me…"_ he watched how his breath formed a white cloud due to how cold it was, and he grunted. _"It doesn't bother me much, provided I keep moving."_ He closed his eyes and sighed before turning to the three. "Judging from how it's getting darker, we'll arrive at Xmas Land by dawn." He stopped to look at the sky. "But only if we keep moving."

"What do you propose then?" Hinata asked while rubbing her arms like what Sakura was doing.

"Until we find a cave, we can't rest." He untied the knot of his scarf while Naruto removed his cape and had it wrap around Hinata's form. "So for now," he approached Sakura and wrapped the material around her neck. "We keep moving."

"Thanks Naruto." Hinata murmured to the blonde who just grinned.

"W-What about you?" Sakura asked once Sasuke was done securing the scarf around her neck.

"I'll be fine." He knelt to the ground on one knee and set his backpack down. "In the meantime, we'll need eyes for an upcoming snowstorm – Xmas Land is famous for blizzards at night."

Naruto blinked a couple of times before his eyes widened when Sasuke took a small Incubator out of his bag. "You have a pet?"

"I get bored when I'm not on a mission." He answered, and then took out an egg. "I guess this will have to do."

"What do you mean _this will have to do_? Exactly how many pets do you have?"

Sasuke didn't answer for a while, since he seemed to think about the answer to the Crusader's question.

"An Anacondaq from a Gunslinger friend, not Suigetsu." He said, seeing Sakura's questioning gaze. "A Sohee from Tazuna-san, a Baby Desert Wolf from Kakashi, and I caught the remaining two."

"Why the heck did you capture two more if you already have three?"

Sasuke smirked at Naruto. "Would you pass up the chance to try and catch a Baphomet Junior and a Baby Garm?"

"HOW THE HECK DID YOU CATCH THOSE?"

"It wasn't easy." He placed the egg in the incubator and waited a few seconds for the shell to crack.

As soon as the egg hatched, out came a Baby Garm, a wolf-like creature made of ice, with a Garm as an MVP boss monster, whereas the baby was an aggressive one.

The pup-like monster didn't have a tail, though it had a pacifier in its mouth and a bib around its neck. It looked up at its new owner and immediately announced in a tiny voice that it was hungry.

"It talked!" Naruto yelped.

"Monsters can talk once they've been tamed." Hinata reminded the Crusader. "Though their words are limited, they are able to communicate with their owners, or masters as they'd call them, properly."

Sasuke took out some Pet Food and hand fed the monster until it gave a satisfied bark.

"It's so cute..!" Sakura immediately knelt down next to it and picked it up. "Eep!"

"It's made of ice, Sakura, of course it'll be cold."

"Thanks for the warning…" Sakura mumbled to the Assassin while rubbing her hands together.

"Hn." He stroked the Baby Garm's head for a few seconds before getting up. "Anyway, you're going to need gloves if you want to carry him, much less pet him." He motioned at his gloved hands, except they were a fingerless type.

"Right." She looked down at the baby monster as it stood on all fours and waited for what it would be told to do.

"I need you to keep an eye out for us if a blizzard hits, alright?"

"Yes master." It barked, before following Sasuke who started to lead the way once more.

It took almost an hour for them to reach the very top of the mountains thanks to Sasuke's pet telling them where to go.

The Baby Garm was used to cold terrains that even if they didn't hail from Xmas Land they can find their way around.

"You mean to tell me we would have been lost if this guy didn't lead the way?"

"Relax idiot." Sasuke muttered while rewarding his pet with some more food. "He only led us to a shorter route; it's much more convenient that way, don't you think?"

"Yeah right teme."

"Let me at him! Can I bite him master?"

Naruto twitched at the Baby Garm. "Why you little-"

"Don't make me say yes, dobe."

"Hmph."

"If it's the first time you got him out of its egg, why does it seem loyal too soon?" Sakura asked while smiling at the Baby Garm that jumped onto the Assassin's shoulder before climbing atop his head, its front paws and head using his hair as a pillow, while its hind legs steadied its body on his shoulders.

"I have a way with animals." He smirked and stood up. "Why else do you think I get along with you?"

She clenched her fists yet kept her smile. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that Sasuke."

"Baphomet."

"Why you-" he instantly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Seriously." he said with narrowed eyes directed below the mountains.

She looked at where his gaze was directed at, and soon followed his lead in crouching down to the ground upon seeing the large monster.

"Master…"

"Sshhh." He told his pet. "It's alright, we're not in his range of hearing or sight."

"What about smell?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"The direction of the wind is towards us, so we're safe – unless we have the scent of blood on us."

"Phew."

Naruto and Hinata turned to where the two were looking at and also crouched down.

"What do we do teme?"

"We can't attack, that's for sure, but we have the element of surprise on our side if we time our move properly."

"What you just said is contradicting."

"I mean we can't charge." He clarified. "But if we have to, then we have an advantage, but we'll need to be careful."

"Oh…"

"You really are an idiot."

"Sakura..!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke hissed at the blonde Crusader. "We need to tone down or it might hear us."

"But you just said-"

"Normal level of voices won't get to it, but try screaming and you'll have that thing attack us."

"Okay… so what do we do?"

"You stay here with Sakura."

"Huh? Why?"

"I need you to cast Devotion on us, this way, if Baphomet does attack, Sakura can easily heal you while Hinata and I try to knock it out, or at least weaken it for easier investigation."

"Alright, but the moment Devotion wears off, I'm coming right in."

"You'll need to."

"And what about me?"

Sasuke took a clip out of his bag and handed it to Sakura. "It's a Clip of Cloaking, you can use the Cloaking skill when you equip it." He gave her a serious look. "You need to be fast in supporting us, at the same time, activating the Cloaking skill to hide from the Baphomet's sight."

"O-Okay…"

"And stay as far away from it as possible."

"And me, master?"

"Sorry." He picked him up and lowered him to the ground. "You need to stay here."

"But master! I want to fight!"

"You're still too young for this, so you need to be at a safer distance."

"…Alright."

As the four of them prepared themselves and reviewed the plan, the Baby Garm's nose quivered a bit, and it barked to call its master's attention.

"What is it?"

"Two people are in danger!"

* * *

The creature swung its scythe at the Knight and Paladin, both adventurers managing to dodge the fatal attack.

"Sir! We can't defeat this thing!"

"We have to try!"

The Baphomet roared and stomped the ground, causing the two to fall on their backs and look up as the monster prepared to bring down its scythe.

"EXTREMITY FIST!"

A Monk punched the ground to deliver the powerful attack, and it caused the Baphomet to stagger backwards a bit.

"Come on, hurry!" The two men got back on their own two feet with a Priestess' assistance as she led them away from the battleground.

"Sakura!"

She turned to the blonde Crusader who called her name and immediately performed Heal on him to keep him alive.

"Get them away from here." An Assassin said as a Baby Garm jumped off of his shoulder and turned to the two wounded men.

"Follow me, quick!"

The two were assured by the Priestess that it was alright, so they tailed the wolf-like creature, the Priestess right behind them.

"Who are you?" the Paladin asked as they continued running.

"We're from Prontera, the King sent us to hunt down the Baphomet that has been responsible for the casualties."

The Knight was stunned. "Transcendent jobs are already having difficulty battling a Baphomet, how can a party of second jobs be able to win over it?"

"I'm sorry for my subordinate's rudeness, but I have to agree with him." The Paladin said. "I'm a transcendent job, and from what you've seen earlier, I couldn't even do much damage."

Sakura gave a smile to them. "Our Crusader's too stubborn to die, don't worry. Our Monk is from a well-known clan of the same class and Champions, the Hyuuga clan, and our Assassin is getting close to reaching the requirement to be a transcendent class."

"Hyuuga clan…" The Paladin echoed. "And you?"

"Well… I'm just about the best Full Support Priest in Prontera."

The Baby Garm stopped running and turned to the three adventurers.

"Great job." Sakura commented while kneeling to the ground and feeding him another piece of meat.

It yapped happily and soon ate the reward it received.

"How did you manage to capture that?" the Knight asked in bewilderment.

"Oh, he's not mine." Sakura said. "He belongs to our Assassin."

The Baby Garm finished its food and raised its head to the direction where they came from.

"Master!" It then ran towards a group of three adventurers who were walking to their direction.

"I don't believe it…" The Paladin murmured.

Sakura quickly stood up and checked their status.

Hinata seemed fine, whereas Naruto got a few scratches and bruises while Sasuke sported a cut on his left arm and right cheek.

"Oh geez, did you two play macho men again?"

She only got a sheepish grin and a smirk.

* * *

Four mugs of hot cocoa were placed on the wooden table as the female Monk and Priest thanked the woman who served them the drinks.

"Hold still." Sakura told the Assassin while carefully applying some ointment on the cut on his face.

"Ch." His right eye automatically shut tight from the sting.

She grinned. "Too painful for you Sasu-_chan_?"

He glared at her. "Hn. Very funny."

She just smiled and placed the square bandage on the cut. "There we go." She leaned back on the chair and lifted his left arm. "That's one nasty wound."

"It's a Baphomet's scythe, what did you expect?"

"I don't know," she smiled. "Maybe for you to dodge?"

"I tried to."

"Oh, so you miscalculated your footing and tripped?"

"No," he said. "I took the blow or it would have gotten to you."

And the smile was wiped off her face.

"Hn." He looked elsewhere, trying to ignore Naruto's snickers. He did gain a bit of satisfaction when the blonde had yelped from the stinging ointment Hinata applied.

"But… how did…"

"That's not important."

"It is to me."

"Hn."

His pet suddenly jumped onto the table. "The scythe was supposed to hit your back but master took it for you!"

Sasuke's cheeks turned red as he averted his gaze to his pet. "You. Shut. Up."

"But she wanted to know." The Baby Garm exclaimed.

"Ch."

Sakura managed a small smile before applying some ointment on his wound, and again, he flinched. "I'd heal it if only Xmas Land's Bards would get rid of the silence spell they cast."

"It's fine." He muttered.

She wrapped the wound up in bandages and smiled. "Thank you." And he didn't expect her to place her lips on his cheek – right where he was wounded.

For some strange reason, it no longer stung.

"How are you troops holding up?"

The four looked up at the Paladin who smiled slightly at them, and Naruto instantly grinned and raised a fist. "Just fine!"

"That's good to hear." He took a seat next to Sakura and glanced at Sasuke. "Sorry if I'm mistaken, but could you be… Uchiha Sasuke?"

The group's eyes, save for Sasuke's, widened.

"Who wants to know?" the Sin asked.

"I do." He said. "It's just that… you share a great deal of resemblance to Uchiha Mikoto-san, that's all."

Sasuke kept his gaze on the Paladin for a few moments before looking down. "She's my mother."

Silence engulfed the room, and the tension turned pretty thick from the sudden revelation.

"I… I see…" the Paladin coughed. "I'm sorry about… what happened to the clan."

"Hn." He grunted. "Why? Are you responsible for their deaths?" he stood up, and his pet immediately jumped onto his shoulder. "I don't want to hear an apology from someone who isn't guilty of the crime." He turned to look at the Paladin with narrowed eyes that were threatening to shift to red. "And even if you were guilty, I won't accept your apology." He started to walk off, with Naruto asking where he was going but received no answer.

Hinata bit her lower lip and looked at the Paladin who sighed softly.

"I supposed I should tell you what I know?"

"Normally, I'd say 'who cares', but right now, I'm curious." Naruto said. "Especially if that got the teme so pissed off to walk out."

The Paladin nodded. "To start things off, my name is Juugo." He faced the wall before him. "When I was only six years old, a young Ninja found me on the streets of this place." He closed his eyes to reminisce the past before continuing. "That Ninja gave me a purpose, and she helped me become a Swordsman, a job she believed would suit me."

"Did she say why?" Hinata asked in a quiet voice.

"She said I had eyes that didn't seem to lose hope, no matter how much despair would wish to devour it." He glanced at the three young adventurers. "I clung onto those words until I became a Crusader. I was part of the army who protected the villagers here, and at that time, she came by to visit to see how I was doing."

Sakura had a feeling who the Ninja was, and she could only assume what came next.

"She told me how she would love it if I became friends with her sons, one about to become an Assassin Cross, the other successfully becoming an Assassin." He looked at the expressions on both Naruto and Sakura's faces. "Yes, that Ninja was Uchiha Mikoto."

"Holy…" Naruto trailed off. "Wait, when teme became an Assassin… that was when…"

"That's right." Juugo nodded. "Mikoto-san informed me that she had to cut our meeting short, because she just received word from her husband about Satan Morroc destroying the town. I offered to help, but she said my place was here and that she'll come back someday, though her sad smile told me that it would be the last time we'll see each other." He shut his eyes from the memory. "I kept hoping she and her family would be safe, I never stopped praying, and when a messenger arrived to inform us tragic news of Satan Morroc's destruction, it was the first time I lost hope."

"Juugo-san…" Hinata whispered.

"I stopped believing at some point, and that weakened me greatly, yet I didn't seem to care." He clenched his fists. "I remember questioning God then, asking why He didn't protect Mikoto-san and her family, as well as the innocent townspeople of Morroc, even the adventurers who fought bravely." He gave a heavy sigh and regained his composure. "The following year, I didn't expect Xmas Land to be invaded by the Z Gang, a notorious group of adventurers who have decided to put their skills for evil instead of good, and for a moment, during my weakened state, I apologized to Mikoto-san for letting her down, as well as to the townspeople for not protecting them, but then…"

Naruto gave a small smile. "Let me guess, the Assassin guild?"

Juugo laughed lightly and nodded. "I didn't expect to see those Sins, and I didn't think they actually cared."

"Feh. They have their own definition of caring." Naruto snorted.

"Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that their intention is good." Juugo said. "Our army cheered behind bars as the Sins were able to corner all the members of the Z Gang, the Guild Master of the Assassin Guild was present as well, and he was the one who captured the leader of the Z Gang, with the assistance of…" he smiled lightly. "Of Mikoto-san's youngest son." He turned to the group. "Quite an unexpected turn of events actually…"

"How did you know that teme is her son?"

"He was the one who freed me and some of my comrades from our prison, and I saw his resemblance to Mikoto-san, though I didn't quite get a good enough look to confirm it, until now."

"Whoa. So when you saw him that time…"

"Somehow, I started to hope again, I began to have faith once more. I believed that there were still members of the Uchiha clan alive, and perhaps some of the townspeople of Morroc, and I was relieved a month later to know the outcome of the Satan Morroc incident." He sighed. "Sadly, most of the men and women from the Uchiha clan did not make it, but there were… three who were well-known that made it."

"Teme, his brother, and some other guy."

"Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Madara." Juugo said. "All this time, I've been waiting for one of them to show up, or at least… for Sasuke-san to appear again, now that that has happened," he stood up and turned to Naruto. "Please, I would like to join your guild."

* * *

"Come on teme..!"

He was still ignored as the Assassin proceeded to walk forward, and Sakura and Hinata had to calm Naruto down, otherwise, he might start an avalanche.

Sasuke had kept his pet for now, since the morning light provided enough illumination for their eyes.

It wasn't that he didn't want Juugo to be a part of the guild, especially since it was Naruto's call, but it was more on because he needed to see what the Paladin can do first.

"Teme..! Sending Juugo alone in the Ice Caves isn't a good idea!"

"If he defeats the MVP there, then he's worthy."

"Why are you being so-"

"Don't forget what SB's goal is. If Juugo, a Paladin at that, can't even stand up against a Baphomet when with a comrade, then…" he trailed off. "Hn. Let's keep moving."

"Hmph. Don't I get to decide?"

"You asked me if he could, remember?"

"Oh shut up with the loopholes!" Naruto pointed. "Brrr… is it me or is it colder than yesterday?"

Sakura and Hinata also rubbed their arms up and down, the former glancing at Sasuke, tempted to ask if she could borrow his scarf again.

"_That would be unfair though,"_ she thought while rubbing her hands together. _"I mean… I have long sleeves, while he doesn't."_

The Priestess noted how Sasuke suddenly stopped and looked down, so she followed his gaze and gasped, earning both Naruto and Hinata's attention.

"H-Holy-!" Naruto stared wide-eyed at the pool of blood that seeped onto the snow-covered ground. "W-What… w-who…"

The Assassin didn't answer but just knelt down on one knee and scrutinized the blood.

It was still red, meaning that it has been there recently. Having killed many monsters and humans, he can tell just by the scent of the substance if it belonged to a person or a creature.

However, in order to be sure, he had to test the temperature, as well as the taste.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! I'm cold and hungry, and now we see blood!"

"N-Naruto, please tone down, you're making it harder for Sasuke to concentrate."

"But Hinaaataaa!"

Sakura just gave them a sideways glance before walking over to Sasuke. She placed her hands on her knees and bent down slightly to him.

"Ne, Sasuke, it _is_ kind of cold, so if…" she trailed off when she saw him touch the blood with his index and middle finger. "Sasuke?"

His brows furrowed after feeling a bit of warmth from the substance, no matter how faint it felt, meaning that the victim is of the mammal species.

Next thing he did shocked Sakura, because he suddenly closed his eyes and drew his fingers close to his mouth, afterwards, lightly flicked the blood with his tongue.

He let his senses take over as he compared the temperature, smell, and taste of the blood before opening his eyes halfway.

"Er… Sasuke?"

He lowered his hand and took a vial out of his pocket.

Sakura wondered what he was doing when he poured it over his fingers to clean off the blood from his hands. He took another vial, this time, the liquid inside was a pale blue color, and she wondered what it was when he downed the contents.

"Temeeee! Could you hurry it up already and-"

"Human blood." He answered after keeping the vial back in the pouch around his waist. "O positive, female."

"How…"

"It's a gross way to tell, but it's effective."

"You could get a disease for doing that!"

"I know," he told Sakura. "That's why Sins carry different types of antidotes for all kinds of poisons."

"Can't you just use _Detoxify_?"

He shook his head. "That skill is for poison from monsters and human made concoctions. It's not for human blood." He looked around the terrain. "As you said, I could acquire a disease from doing this, especially if the victim can't be found, so the guild's expert Sins invented different types of antidotes." He stood up. "And it's much faster to determine the victim this way."

"Um… one question…" Sakura murmured. "Did you or did you not kill the Baphomet?"

Naruto frowned. "We managed to hold our ground, but it eventually got the best of us, had Hinata not performed Extremity Fist to send it back a few feet."

"We ended up retreating." Hinata said in a small voice.

"You mean it's still out there?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "Well, we better hunt it down."

"Not a good idea." The Sin said while eyeing their surroundings. "Since it just ate, it's most likely a lot stronger than yesterday."

"So how are we going to finish this mission?" Naruto asked with a frown. "We can't exactly wait for back-up, it'll take days."

"Not unless they teleport." Hinata said. "But they'll need to find a Priest who can do the job."

"There are only a handful of Priests who are allowed to save a warp portal here." Sakura said. "So, it would take days for them to locate one."

"Then this may as well be considered a suicide mission." Sasuke said. "What's your call dobe?"

"Eh?"

"You _are_ the guild leader, aren't you?"

Naruto frowned and weighed their options.

He knew they could die if they went head on at the Baphomet, but if they abort the mission, then more innocent people will be killed.

"What are the chances of our success?"

Sasuke smirked slightly. Naruto can be mature when he wants to be, it's just too bad that he only shows it on rare occasions.

"If we come up with a good plan, we can increase our survival rate from 15% to 46%." He answered after computing everything in his mind. "Granted that, dying is still most likely to happen." He got his Jur out. "And I'm willing to risk it."

Naruto grinned. "You took the words right out of my mouth."

Hinata nodded once and smiled to show that she would follow them all the way.

The three of them then turned to Sakura who was stunned by both Naruto and Sasuke's decision.

She knew that Naruto would put others first before himself, even at the cost of his own life. That was what made him a good Crusader. She didn't think Sasuke would do the same though, since he still wanted to locate his missing brother. She knew Sasuke was careful with every decision he made, especially when it was a matter of life and death.

For him to choose dying in this mission instead of living really had her shocked.

"_Still…"_

She smiled, and they took that as a yes.

"_It made my heart skip a beat."_

"Alright! Let's go hunt down that Baphomet!"

It took them that long to finally get what Sarutobi meant about their weakness becoming their strength.

Their weakness was placing their own lives before others – and it can turn into their strength by being united.

For that, the King's plan for the formation of Siege Breaker is almost complete.

* * *

The taste of the chocolate-flavored _Pocky_ stick had her smiling as she hummed a happy tune. Her feet dangled from the corner of an inn's roof, her head swaying from left to right as she kept a watchful eye on the people below – both civilians and Adventurers alike.

She finished the single stick in her mouth and picked up another, unable to get enough of the treat.

Her eyes blinked a couple of times when she spotted a group of four – no, five – Adventurers, all covered in what appears to be green goo.

A grin formed on her lips when she recognized one of the five people, and without hesitating, she had jumped down in front of the teen and greeted him with a playful salute.

"Yo _Taichou_!" She kept her Pocky and continued smiling at the scowl he sent her. "Rough day?"

"Ch. Don't ask." He mumbled, turning to glare at the blond-haired Crusader who hid behind the female Monk they were with. "Someone here thought that cutting open a Baphomet's gut would be fun."

She cringed in disgust. "As much as I love gore like the rest of our class do, well, that goo isn't… pleasing to both the eyes or the nose."

"I know." He seethed.

The female Assassin caught the pink-haired Priestess eyeing her, and then at Sasuke, before a frown was etched on her face as she lowered her head.

"_Ahaha… does Sakura think I like Sasuke?"_ She had to bite back a laugh. "So, _Taichou."_

"Nika, drop it." He warned.

"But it's fun calling you captain!" She smiled. "Okay, okay, _Sasuke_, there, happy?" She shrugged. "Master wants to see us later."

He raised a brow. "Odd, he usually just wants to see you, or just me."

"I know." Nika sent a quick glance over Sakura's twitching brow. "Weird, huh? Maybe he plans on sending us on another mission?"

"Could be, since your training and mine aren't so different."

"Which is why I can keep up with you, and you can easily predict my next movements." She nodded at that, trying to stop herself from laughing at how Sakura gave double meanings to her conversation with Sasuke. "Well, you go on ahead and get cleaned-up, I'll wait for you at _our usual spot_."

* * *

It was weird seeing Sakura glaring at Sasuke – yes, she was _glaring_.

Normally, she only did that when he called her a "Baphomet", but she's recently grown to the nickname.

But to see her looking at Sasuke as if he's committed the biggest crime on earth made them wonder what could have happened.

Sasuke either ignored it, or wasn't really aware of it.

"I'll meet back with you guys later." He told them after he was done fixing his attire. "In the meantime, Naruto, brief Juugo about SB."

"Uh… right, sure, okay…"

The dark-haired Assassin wrapped his scarf and turned to the window. "Just send me a message if something comes up." And he was out, not even sparing them another glance.

Naruto and the rest turned to Sakura, seeing her seething, before looking away with a huff, cheeks red and brows furrowed.

"Wow, she's got it bad for him…" Naruto murmured to Juugo and Hinata who both nodded in agreement.

* * *

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **__In some private servers I've been on, you can tame any monster you want and have them as pets. But in most servers, only selected ones can be kept as pets. For this story, there're going to be exceptions._

_**Apathetic Silence: **__I actually wish you can really tame Garms._

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **__Yeah. That would be cool._


	5. Haunting of Niflheim

_**Apathetic Silence:**__ My cousin apologizes for the lack of updates, and same for me as well. She's busy with work and school piling up, while I've been preoccupied with thesis papers. Anyway, she sent this chapter and made sure that this is/was "heavy on the SasuSaku" - as she said, as a way of apologizing.

* * *

_

Stare. Stare. _Stare._

"What?" She asked.

He frowned.

She did as well.

And he continued to stare.

"What?"

"Hn."

She scoffed and crossed her arms, trying hard to fight the blush that was on her cheeks.

"Is it _dress-up _day today?"

She glared at his raised eyebrow.

"Seriously, I'm… wondering why you're wearing that."

"You," she seethed. "Are one of the densest men I've _ever_ met!" And with that, she turned her back on him and stomped off, not noticing how the people had cleared a path for her upon sensing her angry vibes.

He just blinked a few times before tilting his head slightly to the left, mouth agape.

"What just… happened?"

From atop a small house's roof sat an Assassin Cross who was no longer reading the book in his hand but rather staring at his former student with disappointment.

"_Really Sasuke, I'm starting to worry if Naruto's idiocy has implanted a virus to your supposedly intellectual brain."

* * *

_

**Close Proximity****  
_"_**_**Haunting of Niflheim"**_

_Fear is non-existent and just a figment of one's imagination.  
Courage is a trait unleashed when one is faced with danger.

* * *

_

He hated confusion.

He hated not knowing the answer to a question.

He hated having trouble figuring out a problem.

Most of all, he hated it when he was being ignored by a certain Priestess.

"The reason I'm asking is because I have no idea."

She just purposely ignored him and continued browsing through the many items that vendors like Blacksmiths and Merchants sold.

"Sakura."

"This looks cute." She mumbled to herself while eyeing the small stuffed doll of a poring. "But it's too common."

"Sakura."

She set the doll back down on the cart and searched for more things, smiling at a few accessories she doesn't own yet.

"Sakura."

"How much for this?"

"Oops! Sorry, that's not for sale!" The young Merchant immediately swiped the balloon hat. "It's a collector's item, so…"

Sakura just gave an understanding smile before moving on to the next seller.

"Sakura."

"Pets!" She cheered before bending down to eye the multiple eggs of various colors which held different kinds of monsters that can be kept as pets. "Hmmm… I wonder what I should get."

"Interested, are you?" A Blacksmith who had a Romantic Leaf in his mouth asked with a boyish grin. "Tell 'ya what, since you're so darn cute and pretty, I'll give you a discount on which egg you choose."

She instantly beamed at him and looked at each egg carefully.

"Um… um…"

"If I may make a suggestion," the Blacksmith knelt down next to her, albeit too close for Sasuke's liking. "A Priestess like yourself would do well with a Lunatic or a Poring, it would match your cuteness."

Sakura flushed and tried to look away. "Y-You really think so?"

"Why of course! You'd-"

"Try giving her a Baphomet Jr., it would match her perfectly."

Sakura twitched and stood up almost instantly to glare at Sasuke's impassive face.

"What did you say?"

He lowered his head slightly, as if reminding her that he was a head taller than she was. "Ba-pho-met."

"You jerk!"

"Hn."

"Asshole!"

"Hn."

"Jackass!"

"Hn."

"Ugh! I hate- Ugh! You suck!" And she turned and ran off, seething with rage.

"Dude! How could you let a girl like that go?"

Sasuke glared at the complaining Blacksmith who instantly shut his mouth.

"Next time I catch you sneaking a peek at her chest, I'll castrate you."

And he left the Blacksmith after earning a gulp and a nod.

* * *

"No way!"

Sarutobi sighed heavily and rubbed his temples.

"I can't believe you would all refuse this task."

"Sir, with all due respect, Niflheim is a place I would avoid as much as possible."

"I know your reasons, Neji, but…" Sarutobi eyed each and every member of the guild who was present. "How is it that all of you refuse?"

"Gunslingers like myself won't last there." Suigetsu said.

"I'm not very confident in my skills." Sai gave an apologetic smile.

"I am not going to waste my time and beauty there." Ino pouted.

"Sorry." Hinata bowed down in respect.

Shino and Shikamaru just shook their heads, both the Wizard and Sage preferring to practice their magic instead.

"Even Hunters fear that place." Kiba said with Tenten nodding in agreement.

"No thanks." Karin said while pushing her glasses up. "I'm not experienced enough to tackle such a mission."

"I would but…" Lee fidgeted. "I, as a Taikwon, have to train harder in order to reach the next level!"

Chouji shook his head. "I need to sell more items; it's the task given to me as the only Blacksmith – rather, Merchant related class of the guild."

The door to the throne room soon opened, and in came a whistling Naruto who had just removed his fox mask and had it hanging from the side of his head.

"Sorry, got delayed by a couple of Swordies who were taxing too much." He noted the silence in the room. "Um… what?"

"I guess it'll have to be Naruto." The guild members all said in unison.

"Eh?"

Sarutobi nodded once before eyeing the blonde-haired Crusader. "I have a mission for you; sadly, you'll be tackling it alone since your currently present guild mates aren't available-"

"Hold it," Naruto lifted a hand up. "How can they not be available if I re-checked their schedules? Only Lee isn't available!"

"…Looks like Sasuke's intelligence is rubbing off on him a little bit." Neji murmured to Shino who nodded in agreement.

"They won't accept this mission."

Naruto scoffed and gave a grin. "I'll take it! What's the mission? It can't be that hard! Nothing a Crusader like me ca-"

"Investigate what's haunting the villagers of Niflheim and-"

"Oh crap! I need to tank someone! Sorry old geezer but I gotta go! Really sorry I can't help so bye!" He started to rush out of the door, only for his cape to be pulled back by Sasuke who just arrived with a sulking Sakura.

"You _don't_ have tank duties today, dead last."

"Lemme go teme! And how'd you know my schedule?"

"I'm second-in-command, it's my job to keep track of your non-existent schedule."

"If it's non-existent then how do you know it's there?"

"Because you like making things up, and I repeat: you _don't_ have tank duties today, nor do you have anything to do that will be important."

"I'm not accepting that mission! No way, no how!"

Sasuke tugged harder, causing Naruto to fall onto the floor.

"Ow!"

The Assassin looked towards Sarutobi questioningly.

"Well, it appears as if desperate times call for desperate measures." Sarutobi said.

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't remember signing up for this – substituting, I mean."

"Everyone has refused the mission Sasuke, and I really need this to be done."

"What could possibly make all of them refuse?" He furrowed his brows. "What about Juugo?"

Naruto got up and tried to ignore the pain on his behind. "He went to Xmas Land in order to finalize his transfer here."

"When's he coming back?"

"Soon, I hope." Naruto mumbled. "Anyway, last I heard, he's on his way back."

"Can it wait, Sir?"

"Afraid not, Sasuke. Juugo can perhaps follow once he arrives, but I need at least one Adventurer to take this mission."

"Hn." He walked forward with Sakura, now clothed in her Priestess garments, following closely behind. "What do I have to do?"

"You sure you won't back out?"

"I've got no choice."

"Alright then." Sarutobi inhaled before speaking. "I want you to investigate Nilfeim."

Sasuke frowned. "Why?"

"May I know the reason for your hesitance?"

"It's dangerous there." He said. "Monsters can infiltrate the village without worrying about Adventurers stopping them, what's worse is an enchanted Horong appears before newcomers and drains them of their energy, enough to weaken them and have monsters attack."

"You've been there, I presume."

"Eight months ago, to be precise. I was escorting my Guild Master there."

"Then I guess you understand how important this mission is."

"Yes Sir." He nodded once. "However, I won't risk going there on my own."

"Oh come on teme! Don't be such a baby!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto calmly. "I wasn't the one who tried running off from this mission."

"Oh shut up!"

"I'll… I'll go."

They all looked towards Sakura, and Suigetsu had to whistle in awe at her bravery.

"At least we have a tough girl in our guild."

Karin scowled at Suigetsu.

"What? Jealous you don't have enough guts to go with your _boyfriend_ in Nilfeim?"

"Shut up!"

"You're sure?" Sarutobi asked Sakura.

Sakura had to hold back a twitch. "Sir, I am a Priestess, and I have my duties to fulfill."

"I warn you, Nilfeim is no ordinary town."

"I have heard stories from Tsunade-shishou, and I am ready to face it."

"I'll give you and Sasuke three hours to prepare."

"Sir?" Sakura furrowed her brows questioningly.

"I want Sasuke to give you the full details of the town, and why it is feared by most Adventurers." He paused for a few moments before continuing. "And I want you both to make sure you'll have everything you need – it won't be easy to get back here, much less access a Kafra's service once you enter the town."

"Sucks to be you." Neji smirked at Sasuke's direction, who only returned it with a glare.

* * *

"Niflheim?"

"Aa."

She glanced at her team Captain's companion and inwardly gave a sly grin. "Aww… I'm gonna miss you."

Sasuke raised a brow at Nika, completely unaware of a seething Sakura.

"What? I can't miss you?"

"You've been… acting weird." He mumbled, narrowing his eyes slightly as if he was studying a book filled with codes. "I think you've been eating too much Pocky."

"Oh stop _worrying_ so much Sasuke!" She waved her left hand at him. "I know how much you care about me and all but come on, I'm a big girl now."

"Hn."

As Sasuke proceeded to leave orders to Nika, the female Assassin had secretly stole a glance at Sakura, satisfied in seeing the Priestess twitching and clenching her fists.

"_Man, these two should just get together."_ She nodded to Sasuke once he was done and gave a playful salute. "You can count on me _Taichou_!"

"I know." He frowned. "Just make sure the Guild Master knows about this."

"Are you scared..?" She teased, leaning close to Sasuke with a wide grin.

Sakura nearly cried out when Sasuke didn't even step back.

"Right now, I'm scared of how you're acting." He bluntly responded. "It's like you're on drugs and I'm not sure how I'll be able to break that to your step-father."

"Yeesh." She pulled back, much to Sakura's relief. "Our Master just _had_ to make you watch over me."

"It's for the sake of the Assassin Guild Nika, you know that."

Sakura was confused; she came up with possible theories as to what the Guild Master of the Assassin class could have meant.

"_It's possible that Nika may be the next leader, but then, their Guild Master wants Sasuke to take the job, so… it must mean that…"_ Her eyes widened. _"Are they being set up?"_

"This is your fault." Nika sighed. "You should have just… you shouldn't just accept that."

"I know my priorities." Sasuke said in a dismissive tone. "We're running behind schedule, just keep things in order for me until Sakura and I get back."

"Yeah, I'll send Juugo once he returns."

Sasuke didn't reply for a moment before shaking his head. "No, send him back to the King and see to it that he gets a mission that may help boost his experience in staying with SB."

"Wow, you sure are confident with this mission of yours, given what happened the last time we went there."

"It won't happen again." Sasuke said. "I swear."

Nika nodded hesitantly before biting her lower lip and looking away. "Alright, but be careful, got it?"

"Hn."

Sakura blinked when Nika had turned to eye her seriously. "Keep an eye on him for me, will you? He can get reckless at times."

"S-Sure…" Sakura said weakly, forcing a smile as she folded her hands behind her back just to be able to hide her clenched fists. _"Sasuke and Nika… are they..?"

* * *

_

The silence was unnerving, but she didn't know what else to say, or what topic to bring up.

She was supposed to be mad at him right? After being so damn ignorant of her attempts this morning; why is it that he only sees her as a friend and not as a grown woman?

"How… long have you and Nika been friends?"

Sasuke glanced at her. "She's not just a friend, she's my partner."

"Ah, right." She nodded once. "Since… you both became Assassins?"

"No," he shook his head. "Since before I even became a Thief."

"Huh? But… you two…"

"Nika moved out of Prontera during the time we formed Team Seven." He explained. "The Guild Master took her as his own, so it was obvious that she'll be taking the path of an Assassin."

"How exactly are Sins grouped together?"

"Like me, Nika also trained under the Master's supervision; she was supposed to be engaged to his son, but…"

"He died, right?"

"Aa." He nodded once. "So I became Nika's partner; the Master has been keeping an eye on me since I started my training in becoming an Assassin; I was considered a sub."

"Odd…" she commented. "Shouldn't these all be kept a secret?"

"Hn." He glanced at her and gave a smirk. "You fell for that?"

She stopped all of a sudden, nearly falling down. "T-That was a lie?"

"Heh." He held back a laugh. "Nika just became my partner when the mission to protect King Sarutobi came to be, so don't think I've been friends with her since childhood."

"Y-You… but…"

"Lying is part of our training Sakura, though I only make use of it when caught by the enemy, or if a civilian is a witness."

"…"

"And… you and Naruto were my first friends."

That made her smile, even for a bit.

"We better hurry; I'd prefer to get to Niflheim before Nightfall."

"Why? Scared?" She grinned.

"If you want to encounter ghost type monsters along the way, then be my guest."

Next thing Sasuke heard was the skill of "Agility Up" being used by Sakura, and she was soon walking as fast as he was.

* * *

An hour and a half passed, and they reached a forest.

"This… uh…" she looked over at her companion. "Should we..?"

He glanced at her. "Scared?"

"No!" She crossed her arms.

"Hn." And he started to move, with her following closely behind.

"Sasuke… what time is it anyway?"

"Around… four, maybe." He said, glancing up at the sky. "It's hard to tell the time with the many trees surrounding the area."

"Right." She glanced to the side and saw a river. "Hey, Sasuke, I think I better make a lot of holy water, don't you think?"

Before he could even say something, she started running towards it and took out a few empty bottles.

"Sakura I don't think-" he stopped when she sat down and pulled off her shoes and stockings, causing his eyes to widen at the sight of her bare legs.

"Hm? What was that?" She asked, turning to him with an innocent look.

"…Never mind." He turned away and scratched the back of his head furiously. He did _not_ just think of inappropriate thoughts – no, he wasn't like that, he was trained to be far from it.

But…

"_Damn. She has nice legs."_ He felt his cheeks turn red as he glared at a tree up ahead. _"Fucking thoughts…"_

He wondered why he couldn't just act the way he was trained to be whenever he's around his friends, or more specifically, Sakura.

From the corner of his eyes, his gaze traveled from her bright expression, and then to her outstretched arm which held onto an empty bottle. He heard her declare an "Aqua Benedicta" in order to turn the ordinary water to a holy one.

Dark onyx orbs proceeded to lower to her neck where a cross necklace was hanging from around it, the pendant lying just above her chest.

Compared to the many females he has met or seen, Sakura wasn't exactly as well-endowed, but the Priestess outfit's tightness around the chest area makes up for her "flatness" - though Sasuke doesn't think it was flat, nor did he consider them to be small – but that's not the point.

Moving on, his gaze stopped at her hip,where he could spot the beginning of the dress' slit, starting as a narrow opening at first until the gap widens – and there he sees her bare legs, the unblemished flesh taunting him.

He has already accepted the fact that her legs and hips are her best assets.

As he continued staring after a few bottles of Holy Water later, Sakura cheerily announced that she was done. This led to Sasuke snapping out of his trance and turning away to not get caught, just in time as Sakura got out of the river, only to end up tripping and falling into the water.

Her sudden cry caused Sasuke to turn back to her, and he regretted doing so – because Sakura was completely soaked. And hell, seeing her sitting on the shallow water with her legs spread apart had his nose bleeding.

Her outfit's slit did little help in calming him down.

"_Fuck!" _He swiftly turned to wipe the trickle of blood and cursed Kakashi and Naruto for implanting many… _things_ in his head when they got bored doing nothing.

"S-Sasuke… I… I could use a little help…"

He tried to recompose himself, especially when she spoke in such a _weak_ and _helpless _voice because _goddamnit_ it was a turn-on…

"Klutz." He grunted, moving closer to the edge of the riverbank and offering her a hand. He tried to keep a blank face as she stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed his hand. He pulled her up to her feet and out of the water, and once more, he tried to rid himself of unwanted thoughts when she whined at how completely _wet_ and _soaked _she was.

If Kakashi were there, he'd never hear the end of it.

"Great… and I don't have spare clothes." She sniffed, gathering a fistful of her skirt's material and wrinkling out the excess water. Her action had caused more skin to show, and Sasuke couldn't tear his gaze away from her legs.

"Ne, Sasuke, could you hold onto these?"

He turned to look at what she held in front of him, and he nearly yelled at her for even thinking of making him hold onto her stockings.

"…"

"Sasuke…"

"…"

"Geez, I'm not going to have these dirty too!"

"…Ch." He wordlessly snatched the item from her hands and tried to not think about it too much.

"Are we getting near Niflheim yet?" She asked after squeezing out the water excess from her hair.

"We're about an hour away from the town if we travel by foot."

"...Tell me the truth, we'll be here until nightfall, huh?"

"Most likely."

"How else can we travel?" She asked, not liking the feel of her clothes clinging like a second skin to her body, though she was grateful she was with Sasuke and not with Naruto or Kakashi – the other two would have probably been staring at her.

"We don't have Peco-Pecos, so that's out of the option," he glanced around the forest. "If we ever come across Wolves, then maybe we could hitch a ride."

"…Do you even have taming items for them?"

"No, but I've got the next best thing." He passed the stockings back to her, much to his relief, and took out an incubator. "I had a feeling bringing the baby dessert wolf egg would come in handy."

"Ah, the pet Kakashi-sensei gave you as a present."

He nodded once and seconds later, a brown wolf pup was wagging its tail happily at them.

Sasuke gave it some pet food, and it barked at him in gratitude before licking his hands repeatedly to show its affection.

"Alright," he murmured, scratching its ear. "Do you think you could get us a Wolf to help?"

"I'll try to, master!" It barked, before sniffing around, trying to catch a Wolf's scent.

"Sasuke, it's a baby dessert wolf, it grows up to be a Dessert Wolf."

"I know, but they're of the same family despite the difference of terrain and fur color."

Dessert Wolves have brown coats whereas Wolves have blue.

Sasuke and Sakura didn't have to wait too long when the pup called their attention and directed them to a bush, where a Wolf sat and yawned, licking at its paw that was covered in blood, a sign meant that it just finished hunting and feeding.

"Jackpot." Sasuke murmured, approaching it cautiously.

Wolves weren't aggressive, but if you provoke one, other Wolves nearby would come to attack.

It growled, but didn't make any move of charging, so Sasuke stopped a few feet away and glanced at his pet.

"Can you help my master and his friend out?" It barked. "They need to get to Niflheim, fast."

The Wolf stared at the baby Dessert Wolf before looking up at Sasuke. It stood on all fours and approached him, circling the unmoving Assassin and sniffing at him, trying to see if he had any plans of attacking.

Upon sensing that the Sin had no harmful intentions, it nodded once to the baby Dessert Wolf, and the pup was more than happy to report to its Master.

Sasuke rewarded the little creature with another piece of small meat, afterwards, turned to the Wolf and also offered him some, as a way of thanks or payment.

The Wolf accepted it and ate first before following Sasuke who went back to where Sakura was trying to dry off.

"Sakura, come on."

The pink-haired Priestess stared at the Wolf, before turning to Sasuke with an unsure expression.

"It'll be fine, come on." He offered her a hand, and she took it, though she was still hesitant about approaching the animal.

Sasuke got on the Wolf when it crouched low enough for both the Adventurers to get on, the baby Dessert Wolf finding itself comfortable on Sasuke's shoulders.

Sakura gulped and had Sasuke pull her up so that she was seated in front of him. Sasuke's pet jumped to her lap in hopes of comforting her, and she had to smile slightly at that before the Wolf took off in a fast sprint towards Nilfeim.

"Wow… it sure is dark here." Sakura uttered as soon as she got off of the beast.

Sasuke gave the Wolf another piece of meat as thanks before it barked and took off, not wanting to get any closer to the town where there were more humans.

"The town isn't much further." The Assassin said while walking towards his female companion who was still a bit wet. "Let's go before you end up catching a cold."

"Aww… I didn't know you cared!"

"You'll only slow us down if you get sick."

She scowled. "Gee, thanks."

Once they got into town, Sakura felt Sasuke pull her closer, as well as away from the enchanted Horong that drained Adventurers' energy in order to weaken them.

As soon as they found an inn, they both went inside with the baby Dessert Wolf following close behind, still energetic despite the gloomy atmosphere.

The elderly woman behind the desk had half-closed eyes that appeared to be blank despite the smile grazing her lips. Her white apron was a bit dirty, while her ragged clothes didn't seem to have been washed for days.

"Welcome travelers, how may I assist you?"

"We'll need two rooms for three days at most."

"Ah yes, two rooms." She peered at the pink-haired Priestess who twitched and forced a smile, before looking over at the baby Dessert Wolf that sat next to the Assassin's feet while wagging its tail non-stop. "One room will cost you thirty thousand zenies for a day, no package deal."

"I'm aware." Sasuke mumbled, stopping himself from sighing. "I know of the town's poor economy."

Sakura gaped at the elder woman, and tried to search for something, anything that may give her a sign that this place can offer a discount or bargain.

"Ah, two customers!"

She yelped and jumped at Sasuke, causing the male Sin to lift up his arms and prevent her from falling to the ground and bringing him with her.

"The hell?" He hissed, glaring at Sakura who was red and staring at an old man who just popped out from behind her.

"Aw, how sweet." The woman from behind the counter gave a dry chuckle. "Newly weds?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak but Sakura beat him to it. "Er, yes. We're just a bit shy in terms of… closeness." She tried to smile and gripped at Sasuke's clothes tightly. "Ne, _dear_?"

He twitched at her and just snorted and turned away.

"Well, why don't we just give you one of the best rooms in the house for the same price? It has a large bed that can hold the two of you, and even withstand… activities." The old man nudged Sasuke and grinned.

"Aa…" He gritted his teeth so as not to lash out. "We… appreciate it."

As soon as the money was given and the key handed out, Sakura kept smiling as Sasuke carried her to their room, the older man escorting them and saying things about marriage life, kids, jobs, _everything_.

Sasuke was more than glad that they reached the room, and with a respectful thank you and goodbye, the old man left as soon as the door was closed.

"Wow! What a great deal!" Sakura cheered, giving out an "eep" when Sasuke had dropped her on the bed unceremoniously. "Sasuke, you-" she stopped and felt her face heat up when her companion had removed his upper clothing. "S-Sasuke, y-you're not s-seriously-"

"Thanks to you, my clothes got wet." He mumbled, turning his back to her in order to rummage through his bag. "Now get out of those and into some dry ones."

"O-oh." She almost hit her head against the wall for thinking of inappropriate things. "Right. Clothes."

As she looked through her bag, she paused and looked up at Sasuke, blushing at the sight of his lean upper body.

"Erm… S-Sasuke..?"

"What?"

"I… I don't have any... spare…" She turned away from his gaze, her cheeks red from embarrassment.

Sasuke swore under his breath at how tempting it was to just take her. He swiftly turned back to his bag and pulled out a cotton shirt before tossing it to her.

"Um… thanks." She murmured before getting up and heading towards the bathroom.

Sasuke sighed heavily and sat on the bed, hoping that this mission would end soon.

The sight of his bare upper body lying on the bed made her flush as she opened the door of the bathroom.

"Why aren't you…"

"You're wearing my shirt." He mumbled with his eyes closed. "We'll start investigating tomorrow morning – for now, get some sleep."

"I… I'm sorry… I didn't…"

"It doesn't matter." He gave a smirk. "Unless you want to sleep without any clothes on, then by all means, go ahead."

She swore her whole body turned red at his comment. "You pervert!"

"I'm not the one who pretended to be married."

"…Oh shut up! I'm saving you money!"

"Who says I'd pay for your room?"

She twitched and threw a pillow at him, cursing loudly when he just rolled away to avoid it.

"Go sleep already…"

Sakura raised a brow at how tired he sounded before turning to the wolf pup that was seated on the floor, yawning and stretching its legs.

"I'll… I…" she fidgeted with the hem of Sasuke's shirt, still blushing. The material was long enough to reach the middle of her thighs, but she didn't have shorts underneath it, and Sasuke wasn't wearing anything to cover his upper body.

"Geez. I'm not gonna touch you."

Her cheeks grew redder from embarrassment before hesitantly climbing onto the bed next to him, deciding to turn her back to him in hopes of getting some sleep.

"Night…" she murmured quietly, shutting her eyes and pulling the blankets over them.

"Hn…"

"Night!" The wolf barked, yawning and curling into a ball on the floor before drifting off to sleep.

This was gonna be a long night.

* * *

The sun's rays made her closed eyes shut tighter before slowly opening them to look out the window.

"Morning already..?" She mumbled.

"...Disappointed?"

Her head shot up as she looked down at Sasuke, seeing his narrowed eyes directed at her. Sakura's gaze slowly lowered, seeing how she had one arm around him, an indication that she was hugging him or using him as a pillow.

"Mind getting off?"

She backed away and ended up falling to the floor, yelping out loud at the pain.

Sasuke sat up and sighed heavily. "You were worried about sleeping on the same bed, and you ended up being the one who-"

"I didn't touch you!"

"…Yeah, you _didn't._" He mumbled. "Not at all."

"Ugh! You sarcastic bastard!"

"Perverted Priestess."

"Jackass!"

"Hn."

"Hah! No comeback?"

"It's a waste of time." He grunted. "We're already off to a late start because you overslept."

"Well why didn't you wake me?"

"I figured I'd get slapped if I did."

"How the hell would that happen?"

"Knowing how you react, it was bound to happen – and you wouldn't have believed me if I explained."

"…You still should have woken me up!"

He just sighed and gave up. The girl was too stubborn, and he didn't like the idea of having a headache, not when he didn't get enough sleep last night since her… hugging.

By the time they got dressed and got out of the inn to do some investigating, the wolf pup was sent back to its egg, and that left the two of them alone. Sakura looked back at Sasuke to see him hold back a yawn a couple of times, as well as rub his eyes.

"...Er... you... look a lot more tired than yesterday." She commented.

"...It's your damn fault."

She frowned. "And crankier..."

"Ch." He ran his fingers through his hair and gave out a heavy sigh. "Where the fuck is that damn..."

"...What are we looking for anyway?"

"A monster that is said to lure children into its lair and have them lost."

"...And what would this monster be?"

"There are four of them that I suspect to be responsible." He answered. "The Gibbet is one, since it scares off the kids and sends them running to the Valley of Gyoll – or rather, the main field."

"And the other three?"

"The Hylozoist, or Heirozoist – since it appears to be a stuffed rabbit, but then transforms into a ghost and takes its victims to the field. Another would be the Lude – it's harmless appearance only attracts the younger generation until they are misled. Lastly, there's the Blood Murderer – which we should watch out for because it could really kill us."

"...Not even my Resurrection skill can help?"

"Not in this town." He admitted begrudgingly. "Our guild has lost a couple of Sins the last time we were here because of those monsters."

"Sasuke..." she recalled Nika telling her about him being reckless. "This isn't for vengeance, right?"

"..."

"Sasuke, no."

"I'm killing two birds with one stone here." He says with a glare. "I'll find the monster who took those kids and avenge my comrades."

She reached out to grasp his arm, pulling him back and making the Assassin face her. "Don't, Sasuke." She shook her head. "It won't make you happy, nor will it satisfy you – it will only lead to-"

"Save it, Sakura." He pulled his arm free from her grip. "_Even if it's you_, I still won't listen."

She held his gaze, trying to read his emotions through those dark eyes, wanting to know what he could possibly be thinking, or how she could understand him better, because try as she might, she knew his decision will only lead him to the path of darkness – a path that Sins have been strictly told not to go to in dire situations.

"Then..." she unclenched her fists when she saw his unwavering will – something she had always admired in him and in Naruto. "...I'll go with you to that path."

His brows only furrowed some more, but he did not say anything and waited for her to continue.

"I don't want you to be alone when you get there. I won't let you go deeper once you reach it."

"This is the path I've chosen. You can't just-"

"I decided to take that same path." She said firmly. _"I won't let the darkness consume you."_

He searched for any hesitance in her eyes but saw none, and he ended up grunting and looking away. "You're so annoying."

It would have been harsh to anyone who heard him, but to Sakura, the soft tone of his voice meant that he didn't say it out of anger or spite, but rather, to hide his gratitude for her understanding.

"_I think I get it now, Nika."_ She thought to herself as she followed his lead. _"You're worried that Sasuke might not pull through, so you want me to be there with him when the time comes..."_ a small smile came to her lips at that. _"That just means that there's something about me that you see, something that can change Sasuke's mind if he ends up diving deeper."_

The rest of their search was silent, and neither seemed to mind it.

Soon, the sky grew darker, and Sakura picked up her pace to catch up with Sasuke, all the while looking around and keeping her hands clasped on her chest.

"Hey, Sasuke... is it me or are we... being... watched..?"

He stopped all of a sudden and turned to her, studying her expression and posture.

"I just..." she rubbed an arm and lowered her head. "Sorry, don't mind me."

She was surprised when he took a hold of her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Will this do?"

Sakura looked up at him, seeing him waiting for her answer, and when she gave a slight nod, he began to walk again, only at a much slower pace so that she can keep up.

Slowly, her fingers curled around his, finding security in the warmth of his hand.

"Where are we, anyway? It's getting a bit foggy."

Sasuke glanced around when she asked him that, trying to find anything that will give him a name.

"We're somewhere north of Skellington – Niflheim's abandoned and solitary village."

"...That doesn't sound very comforting."

"Compared to the Valley of Gyoll? Yes."

"...We already passed Gyoll?"

"Aa." He gripped her hand tighter. "Stay close."

"...And why did you say that?"

"Ch. You're too damn... _smart _for your own good."

"You were going to say _nosy_ huh?"

"Hn." He sighed and pulled her closer to him. "This town, or what's left of it, was where our group got split up. Nika, the Master, and I had to stay in one spot to not get lost, and a little later..."

She stared at him, unsure if she wanted to hear the rest of the story or just leave it as that.

"...It's nothing. Just... just don't turn to anything that catches your attention."

"But-"

"_Please_." He met her gaze, and never had she seen him look so scared. "I _don't _want to lose _you_."

If the situation were different, she would have squealed at the romantic choice of words, but knowing Sasuke, he probably meant it as just that – he didn't want to lose her in the... well, friend type of thing.

"...Okay." She nodded, seeing his shoulders slacken a bit from relief before proceeding to walk. "...But I... keep hearing... heavy footfalls..."

His eyes widened.

"Is it just me though?"

Sakura yelped when he suddenly pulled her to him while he leaned against a dead tree's trunk. His right hand held the back of her head against his chest while his left was around her waist, keeping her in his arms.

The pink-haired Priestess looked up at him to see his head turned to the left, teeth gritted and eyes glaring into the distance. She noted that his irises had changed color – instead of the usual endless black abyss, it was now a bloody red color; the Sharingan.

"Sasu..." his grip tightened, so she bit her lower lip and held onto his shirt, gripping the fabric when the footsteps grew louder and heavier. She picked up the sound of a flowing cloak, as well as a whisp of wind, followed by something hitting the ground – as if the floor was being stabbed.

When Sasuke's fingers dug onto her scalp and pressed onto her waist, she had to tighten her grip on his clothes to prevent from whimpering in pain.

He was tensed – she could tell, yet she was amazed at how he kept his breathing even and his heartbeat normal.

"Cloaking."

She blinked when he activated one of his skills while slowly lowering to the ground, her kneeling in-between his legs as he pulled her body closer to him, as if trying to hide her from whatever it was that had been tailing them.

"I used to question why your class' uniform colors matched with ours, but now, I'm thankful for it."

Sakura blinked, only realizing that the Priestess and Assassin clothes matched in color, and she had to push down the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks for thinking of it as a couple clothing.

"At least Niflheim's color schemes are around the same shade as our uniforms..." he paused and looked at her. "And your hair."

She chose to remain quiet and keep her gaze on her hands that rested against his chest, her eyes half-closing when she felt his hand gently stroke her hair. She would have questioned it, but now didn't seem like the right time to do so.

"If we're found out," he started, his voice softer than normal – perhaps to avoid being heard. "Use a Butterfly Wing to get back to town."

She didn't hold back her reaction this time: "What?"

He stared at her, at her widened eyes, at how she let the words he said sink in until fully comprehending what he meant.

"Not without you, Sasuke." She shook her head. "I told you I'll stay with you."

"I know." He raised his other hand to push some strand of her hair away from her face. "But we've gotten this far."

"Then we'll go further." She insisted. "I'm staying."

Sakura expected him to glare, or to further convince her, but instead, she was taken aback by the small smile that formed on his lips.

"You're too damn stubborn."

And she didn't have any time to react or retort, for he suddenly rolled to the ground, taking her with him and stopping a few feet away from the now uprooted tree.

Sakura found herself lying on her back with the Asssassin hovering over her, but her attention was diverted to the monster that had been following them and now had found them.

It was a Bloody Murderer.

"Stay and wait for me in Niflheim."

Her eyes widened in alarm when he held up a Butterfly Wing, and she attempted to snatch it but he smashed his lips on hers, stopping her actions before crumpling the item and jumping away from her just as the remnants touched the ground.

"Sasuke..!" She called out when he charged at the Bloody Murderer, just as the item he crushed activated and sent her back to the village.

His Jur clashed against the monster's weapon as it growled at him, its eyes looking deep into his red glaring ones. Sasuke jumped back and retracted the blades of his Jur, afterwards, threw a couple of daggers towards his opponent, all the while running around it.

He kept his distance when it tried to get closer, him using some of his skills to send the thing away.

"Grimtooth!" He stomped the ground, causing a row of earth spikes to sprout from the ground and head one by one until it hit the monster. Sasuke repeated the same skill once more, and during the monster's moment of weakness, he rushed head on with his Jurs extracted. "Sonic Blow!"

* * *

"He what?"

Sakura didn't bother to yell at Naruto for his loud voice, her concern for Sasuke's safety overwhelming her.

"He sent me back to village! That idiot is fighting by himself right now and I don't know how to get back to him without... without... Naruto, I'm... I'm scared..." and she just knelt to the ground as she continued to communicate with her friend though their communicators. "I'm scared of what might happen to him..."

"Why didn't you form a party, Sakura?"

"It didn't work..." she cried. "We tried to, but it didn't... Naruto, I... I can't even locate him despite being in the same guild – I'm so useless!"

"Calm down Sakura and just... just hang on! I'll head over!"

"But..." she clenched her fists. "Naruto... Niflheim and Prontera are too far away..."

"I'll get there in no time Sakura! Just wait for me!"

She looked towards the path that she and Sasuke took when they started their investigation.

"Where are you right now at Niflheim? I'll come find you."

"No." She told him, her eyes narrowing as she began to walk. "You won't be able to find me."

"Sakura..? Wait, you're not-"

"I'm going to save Sasuke."

"Sakura! No, wait! It's too dangerous!"

"I know." She said. "But that won't stop me from going to him."

* * *

He paced back and forth around the throne room, Sarutobi's eyes following him as he tried to think of what to say.

"Damn it! I should have gone with them!"

"Naruto."

He glared at Neji who was looking at him with stern eyes.

"What now Neji?"

"Don't say such words in front of Sarutobi-sama."

"It's alright." Sarutobi closed his eyes. "I am feeling… anxious as well."

"They'll pull through, don't worry."

The three men turned to the entrance of the room where Nika came in, followed by Kosui and Yoriko.

"Any news on them?" Naruto asked.

Nika shook her head. "Not a word from Sasuke still." She sighed, yet managed a small grin. "But knowing that guy, he's bound to be alright."

"And Sakura?"

"Hey, she's a Priestess, she has a bigger advantage against those monsters." Kosui's deep voice came in, his mouth still hidden by the scarf around his neck. "Her holy attacks will deck those things."

"I just hope they're really okay…"

The appearance of a warp portal startled all of them, and soon, they heard a thud, followed by deep breathing. Their eyes widened when they saw Sasuke's unconscious form on the floor, with Sakura panting heavily as she pulled her companion to her lap and set one palm over his forehead.

"Heal!" And bright white light enveloped her and Sasuke as her skill was activated, successfully getting rid of the cuts and wounds the male Assassin had. Her eyes watered as she looked over his still unconscious form, and once more, she activated the same skill. "Heal!"

"Sakura!" Nika called, running over to her and kneeling next to her friend's lying form. "What happened?"

Sakura looked up at Nika and bit her lower lip.

"Those were serious wounds." Yoriko commented, walking over to them with Kosui in tow. "I've never seen him take on that many injuries all at once."

Sarutobi remained on his seat, ears straining to hear what they were talking about while Neji and Naruto cautiously approached them.

"Judging from the glimpse I got," Kosui spoke as his eyes scanned Sasuke's unmoving body. "He must have been against a Bloody Murderer."

"Twice." Sakura added, breathing out. "When I finally found him, he was already staggering against a second Bloody Murderer, the first one already lying dead."

"That can't be." Nika shook her head. "Sasuke couldn't have had a hard time against such a monster."

"Nika, it was the same spot where you, your Master, and Sasuke were lost in on your last visit there."

Her eyes widened, and so did Kosui and Yoriko's.

"That was the mission you two were sent to?"

Sakura nodded. "Though we managed to get rid of the second Bloody Murderer, Sasuke took most of the hits for me, we barely finished the mission."

"Those missing kids…" Sarutobi murmured. "Were they..?"

"Found, yes." Sakura's eyes closed. "Most of them were barely breathing."

Naruto grimaced and lowered his head. "I should have gone with you guys…"

"What's done is done." Neji told him, and then looked over at Sakura. "Will Sasuke be alright?"

Before Sakura could answer, Nika had beaten her to it. "This guy is too stubborn to die, so you don't have to worry about that." She looked down at him. "Besides, his wounds are healed, he just needs rest and he'll be fine."

"Very well." Sarutobi nodded. "I'll expect the report in a few days time."

* * *

She hesitantly knocked the door, debating if she should bother him or if it would be okay to visit. Other than that, she can't help but recall what the innkeeper had commented when she asked for his room number.

_Feh. First time a girl ever visited him, girlfriend perhaps?_

The idea made her blush, if the old guy had dismissed her as Sasuke's girlfriend, that might mean he could be thinking of things too – which is… bad.

Or not.

"_Agh! Just knock and enter!" _She told herself in her head, before giving three knocks and then announcing that she's coming in. As soon as she stepped foot inside, her eyes widened when his onyx orbs looked at her.

He was currently seated on his bed, hair dripping wet and upper body completely nude and slightly damp.

"Wh…wh…" she flushed and shut the door. "Why didn't you lock the door?"

He raised a brow.

"Y-You're half-naked!" She pointed, face beet red.

"…Not like I have anything to hide." He muttered, picking up the towel next to him and using it to dry his hair. "Besides, I saw you coming over from the window, and figured I'd save you the trouble by unlocking the door."

"…O-oh."

"And… why are you here?"

"I… I came to see how you were doing."

"Hn." He stood up and started to get dressed. "I'm doing fine thanks to you."

"Ah… you're… you're welcome." She fidgeted. This was a lot awkward than she thought. "You're… not mad, right?"

"Maybe."

"Oh." She lowered her head. "Sorry…" she immediately raised her head when his shadow loomed over her, and she blinked at his serious gaze. "Sasuke..?" He lifted his hands and pushed something into her arms, and she looked down to see an egg. "…Huh?"

"You wanted a pet."

She thought back to the time she was browsing at a store, looking at eggs, and also when she was mad at Sasuke for being dense.

"I'm… not entirely sure if that's what you want."

She held the egg and smiled a bit. "If I didn't know you better, I'd think you're courting me."

He turned around and walked to his things. "Hn." And then returned to her to hand over an incubator.

As Sakura set it up and placed the egg over it for hatching, the baby Garm she had grown to be fond off leapt out of the bathroom and jumped onto Sasuke's right shoulder, its ice-covered body not affecting Sasuke as much as it would have for other people.

"Got used to it, I presume?" Sakura asked with a grin.

"Aa."

"Does he have a name yet?"

He looked over at the beady eyes of his pet. "No."

Sakura pouted and then looked down at the incubator when she heard the sound of cracking and hatching. "Sasuke, if this turns out to be a Bapho-"

"It's not."

And just as he said that, another baby garm came out and looked up at Sakura. It tilted its head slightly at her, and then barked. "Master?"

Sakura's face turned pink as she tried to contain her excitement and squeal at how adorable and cute the baby monster was.

"This… you… you bought this?"

He shook his head.

"Caught it?"

He nodded.

"You… said it was hard to capture it."

"Hn."

Her lips formed a wide smile, and soon, she began to laugh lightly, and then pulled up the baby garm and stood, her eyes beaming at Sasuke's still stoic expression.

"Thank you."

His pet jumped down as Sakura's followed suit and the two played for a bit just like pups do.

She watched them in fascination before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd think this is your way of marking me as yours."

A small smirk came to his lips as he, too, looked at the playful pets.

"Shu…"

"Huh?" Sakura blinked.

"His name."

"Oh." She looked at his pet. "Shu…"

"Aa."

She smiled. "In that case, I'll name mine Suh."

"Hn. Since I know you better, I'm pretty sure that's your way of marking me as yours."

* * *

_**Apathetic Silence: **__You'll find out later why the pets' names are that – unless you can figure it out._


	6. Deathtrap Dungeon

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **Merry Christmas guys! :D As much as I'd loooove to get our two stars together, it's just not yet the time. ^^; however, this chapter has a lot of humor, some action, there's drama, tension, and of course, romance~ [I blame the five cups of tea~]_

**Apathetic Silence: **Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for the continuous support and reviews, it keeps us going despite the many things we have to do, me for work, and my cousin for both school and work. [takes tea cup away from cousin – "you've had way too many"]

* * *

The sweltering heat only made the group more annoyed at their leader, who in turn was more worried about the fact that he could have forgotten something.

"Spill it already man! The heat here is far worse than in the Sograt dessert!" The brash Hunter of the team cried out while wiping his forehead with his arm.

"I can't remember!" The young Crusader exclaimed with worry etched on his face. "All I know is we need to cross some sort of field or something..."

"Geez... leave it to Naruto, an idiot, to lead the team." The female Rogue said with a huff. "It would have been better if Sasuke-kun was the one assigned as our leader."

"Oh shut up you fangirl." Naruto grumbled. "And for the record, teme here refused to take the job."

At this point, all eyes turned to the silent Assassin who had been up a nearby tree, hidden from the sun's rays thanks to the shady leaves the tall oak provided.

Upon sensing all eyes on him, he lowered his head to them and raised a brow.

"Well?" The Gunslinger of the group sneered. "What have you got to say for yourself?"

Sasuke just kept his brow raised and soon lifted a finger and pointed west.

"..."

"Well, you are used to Naruto getting us lost." Sakura mumbled, leaving Sasuke to smirk at the memory.

* * *

**Close Proximity  
**_**"Deathtrap Dungeon"**_

___A Grudge can be caused by many things or people  
But handling it well is only a gift that few have obtained_

* * *

"Like I said, Sasuke-kun would have been better off as our leader."

"Shut up already Karin!" Naruto snapped. "So I goofed! But that's why he's second-in-command!"

"You can't expect me to always cover for you, dobe." The Assassin grunted while swinging one end of his scarf towards his back, afterwards, took a quick glance at the pink-haired Priestess walking a few feet behind him. "You alright?"

The addressed girl immediately raised her head and met his eyes, her cheeks instantly turning a shade of pink when his onyx orbs clashed with her emerald ones. "Y-Yeah, why?"

"You've been too quiet..."

"O-Oh... I... just had a few things in my mind, that's all."

He quirked a brow yet again.

"It's nothing Sasuke." She smiled at him. "Don't worry."

"Hn." And he looked back up ahead.

Sakura bit her lower lip at this and slowly looked down, her mind heading back to the kiss he had given her back in Niffleheim. Even though it wasn't anything but just a kiss that he did to distract her, she still felt like there was a hidden meaning behind it.

"_That's impossible."_ She frowned. _"This is Sasuke, so I doubt his kiss meant anything but."_

Though what about his last sentence the other day when he named his pet? She didn't really get what "Shu" meant anyway, and she felt like naming hers "Suh," and then he goes on saying as if she marked him as hers – which was confusing.

"_What did he mean?"_

"I'm hungry…"

She looked at Suh who was whining next to her, and she smiled and took out some food for her pet, the baby garm barking happily and ate before snuggling onto Sakura.

Due to the heat, she welcomed the hug, liking how cold her pet felt against her body. "I think I'll carry you right now." She smiled and carried Suh. She then looked at where Sasuke was, still unable to get over her amusement of seeing Shu on his shoulders with its front paws on his head. _"Probably to help him keep cool since it's really too hot here."_

Sakura picked up her pace to catch up to them, aware of the envious glances she and Sasuke were receiving from their teammates.

From the way Kiba and Naruto looked at their pets, they were pretty much ready to snatch them, but knew better since… well, Sasuke is an Assassin who could end up slicing their hands off, and they didn't want to feel her wrath despite her being a full support type. She didn't like how Suigetsu was staring at her while feeling _warm_, it gave off a different impression, and that was the same with how Karin was eyeing Sasuke's pet, but Sakura could tell that she was also stealing glances at the Assassin's body.

"_The weather making us drenched in sweat is not helping either – it makes us look as if we're hot and bothered…"_

She shook her head at the thought and held Suh closer to her, as if the pet was shielding her breasts from Suigetsu's wandering eyes. It wasn't like her chest was as big as Karin's, in fact, Sakura probably had the smallest bust size among the female members of the guild. Heck, even Nika's and Yoriko's were a cup size bigger than hers at the least!

She frowned at the thought…

"Teme…"

"What?"

"Can I borrow your pet?"

"No."

The gang were pretty much taken aback that it was Shu who answered Naruto.

"I don't like you." Shu barked.

"…Damn dog."

"I'm a _garm_." It growled.

"A _baby_ garm."

"Can I bite him master?"

"No Shu, you'll become stupid."

"Teme!"

"Can I borrow him then?" Kiba asked.

Shu turned to the Hunter. "…But I'm keeping my master cool."

"He's already cool enough." Kiba said. "I mean, yeesh. Even in this heat, he's so damn aloof."

Shu growled. "I don't like you either."

"Ah shit." Kiba cursed. "Shouldn't have said that…"

"Ah… Can… Can I then..?"

Shu turned its attention to the female Rogue, not responding for a few moments before looking away. "No."

The three other guys burst out laughing.

"W-Why?" Karin yelled.

"Because mommy will be sad."

"…Mommy?" The group echoed, even Sasuke and Sakura had looked at Shu in confusion.

Shu looked at his master's gaze, and then shifted a bit to move into his arms. He immediately lifted his hands to catch the iced wolf, and continued to look at his pet questioningly. "Suh says mommy will be angry too."

They then turned to Sakura and Suh, the former as confused as they were while Suh barked in agreement to Shu's response.

Sasuke looked at Shu, and then at Suh, before smirking and looking up ahead. "Perhaps…"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "What?"

"Seriously, we're confused here…" Kiba muttered. "Heck even Sakura doesn't know what her pet and your pet are- oh…" he trailed off and then grinned. "Oh. _Now _I get it."

"What? What..?"

"Figure it out on your own Naruto."

Sakura still looked confused, so she turned to Suigetsu who was also puzzled. When she felt Karin's glare, she already knew that the Rogue got the idea just like how Sasuke and Kiba had understood it.

"Am I… missing something?"

She looked up when Sasuke slowed his pace a bit so that she was in-step with him.

"Hn. Not much."

If it was possible, multiple question marks would have popped up over her head by now.

"It's nothing," he smirked and lowered his voice so that only she could hear. _"Mommy_."

And that was when she got the idea – and it made her turn red.

"I finally see Alberta!" Kiba declared.

"Great! Now let's get on the boat and get to our destination!" Naruto said cheerily.

"…How much does a ticket cost again?" Suigetsu asked as he counted his Zenies.

"Ask daddy!" Shu barked, and Sakura turned redder.

* * *

"Finally!" Naruto yelled and plopped to the ground, glad to be out of the boat and now at a town called Brasilis.

"Dude… ten thousand…" Kiba whined, but shook it off afterwards. "Well… this is where we really are supposed to be, right?"

"Yep, pretty much." Suigetsu answered the Hunter who was relieved at that. "So… been here before guys?"

"Nope." Kiba shook his head. "And from how we're all looking at this town, I can say that none of us have ventured here – even Sasuke."

"It _is_ a fairly new town." Karin stated. "It only started flourishing about… seven weeks ago…"

"Yet we're here because of missing people?" Suigetsu raised a brow. "I get why Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are here, heck even Kiba's class is good, but why bother sending us along?"

Karin rolled her eyes. "I'm flexible to almost any weapon, you idiot. I pretty much cover most of the offensive class of Midgard. As for you," she faced him. "Tenten wasn't available, and neither were Shino and Shikamaru, so you were the only other ranged class free."

Kiba nodded. "Sarutobi-sama had said that it was important to have two ranged-types, we'll be watching their backs if we come across mobs or the ever famous monster – Boitata."

"And since Naruto's the guild leader, and a Crusader at that, he'll be very useful since he can play both offense and defense." Karin's cheeks turned red as she looked over at Sasuke. "And of course… Sasuke-kun's always an asset!"

"…And Sakura's a full-support type, so she's crucial to the team." Suigetsu finished, exasperated at the Rogue's fangirling.

"Ugh… yes." Karin pushed up her glasses and glared back at Sakura's scowl. "If we had another Priest we wouldn't have to keep relying on you – then again, we end up protecting your ass."

"I don't ask for it."

"But you obviously need it." She huffed and crossed her arms, making her chest look bigger and ultimately reminding Sakura of her own bust. "And further- what are you looking at?"

The guys noted how Karin's voice had toned down that they also looked at the two girls.

"Ah-eh… uh…" Sakura's face turned red in embarrassment that she looked away and walked off. "H-Hey! We should look for an inn to get some rest and… ahahaha… we still have to ask people about… the missing people and… yeah… let's ask the people…"

Naruto, Kiba, and Suigetso exchanged looks whereas Karin and Sasuke had stared at Sakura as if she grew another head.

"Hey teme, why don't you go and… uh… make her feel better…"

"Y-Yeah… we'll look for a place to stay." Suigetsu added.

"Huh?" Sasuke raised a brow.

"Dude come on! You at least saw where she was looking!" Kiba hissed.

Honestly, the Assassin didn't really know, or cared much since it involved Karin, but seeing the guys' faces beat red, he got an idea. "Hn." And he didn't like the thought of "cheering Sakura up" with that topic.

Still, he was pretty much the better choice out of the four of them.

"Alright, we'll… message you when we find one." Naruto said, still feeling uncomfortable at what had happened, yet also a bit amused.

* * *

A deep sigh left her lips as she sat on a bench, letting Suh run around, chasing a small white butterfly that was playfully avoiding the baby garm.

It continued to yelp at the insect, jumping and running after it, making Sakura smile a bit.

Suh suddenly stopped and barked happily as the butterfly flew a bit higher.

"Well you sure picked a very secluded place."

Sakura lifted her head up to see Sasuke standing before Suh, his right pointing finger raised to let the white butterfly rest on it.

His eyes were on the small and fragile insect as Shu jumped down from his shoulders and tackled Suh, starting a game of tag.

"And yet you manage to find me."

"Hn." He let out a small smile, and she found herself blushing that she turned away to hide it. "What? Did you expect Naruto to find you instead?"

"No." She answered in a soft voice. "Just that… even back then in team 7, you're always the first to find me."

"I've a knack for finding people and things, as you guys said." His gaze soften as the butterfly flapped its wings and flew off, but not far enough as it travelled within their area. "Except when it comes to locating Itachi."

She noted how his tone had gone softer, which was unexpected since he usually turns cold or gets angry when it comes to anything family-related.

"If anybody can locate him, it's you." She said with a small smile. "And I have the utmost confidence in you Sasuke."

He looked at her, seeing her smiling at him as their two pets proceeded chasing each other, and then taking note of the white butterfly again.

"Know what," he murmured, keeping his gaze on her. "I'm amazed how you could do that."

"Hm?"

"Have confidence in someone else, yet not in yourself."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she lowered her head and shrugged half-heartedly. "I… really don't know what I have to be confident about."

She raised her head when she heard him approach her and take a seat next to her, a respectable distance away from her spot.

"For starters, you're helpful." He pointed out. "You're always ready to jump into action despite the risk."

"…That's kind of like Naruto though."

"You're caring."

"As a Priestess." She said. "It's kind of in my nature."

"Lee should probably be the one doing the talking then."

She ended up snorting and tried to hold back her laugh. "Come on Sasuke, you've known me longer."

"Shouldn't that be enough then?"

"Hm?"

He met her eyes, the seriousness in his orbs making her smile disappear. "I've known you since team 7 was formed, I know what you're capable of, and I know how you are." He shifted his gaze to their two pets, watching them continue to play around like normal pups do. "And you have something to be confident about."

"Um… I'm not entirely sure about that but…" she let out a smile. "Coming from you, that's already a big deal to me." She let out a soft sigh and looked up at the clear blue skies. "There are just some things that… I still wonder about, some things that I wish I have but don't."

"If it's any help," he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "You've got a much greater personality than Karin."

"You're being biased because you don't like her."

"Your legs are better looking."

She froze.

"And so are your hips."

Her left eye twitched as she slowly faced him, seeing him still nonchalant about the topic, and how she was slightly bothered that he had noticed those – which meant that he checked her out at least once, and Karin too.

"When you both walk, your hips sway in a much natural fashion than Karin, and your complexion is pretty much near flawless."

"…Near. Flawless..?" She was shaking by now and had already brought out her staff.

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hm… As far as I can remember, you don't have a single scar or blemish, but I've no clue about your other body parts, so I'll have to say that it's near flawless."

"O-Other b-body p-p-parts..?"

"Your skin's smooth too," he glanced at her. "And how you're able to pull off being innocent yet looking sultry still puzzles me."

The two pups soon stopped running around and looked over at their respective owners when Sakura yelled and brought down her staff on the spot where Sasuke sat earlier, since the Assassin had chosen to jump away upon noticing her staff.

"Not to mention how you can be such a damn tease without meaning to, like last time." He moved to the side to avoid the swing of her staff. "Having slipped and getting soaked, and then even asking me to help you out of the river was not really a good idea."

"W-What?" Her face was extremely red by this time, and she soon cast her buffs on herself and continued to attack Sasuke, who only proceeded to evade and dodge her advances.

"Then you even made me hold onto your stockings, and continued lifting up your skirt to squeeze the water out – which of course led to more skin showing."

"S-Shut up already!"

"And do your clothes have to be so damn tight?" He moved his head to the left to avoid her staff. "It's sometimes hard to talk to you without having to end up looking down."

"U…Uchiha Sasuke! You shut up right this instant!" She yelled, already feeling too embarrassed.

"What I'm trying to say is…"

He sighed and caught her staff, afterwards, pulled it and brought her closer to him, making her stumble onto the Assassin that she had to wrap her arms around him to stop herself from crashing to the ground. Sakura dared to raise her head, and her blush only turned a darker shade of red upon realizing how close their faces were, and how he was still keeping a straight face – but the intensity in his gaze made her breathless.

"…You're far more tempting than Karin can ever be."

* * *

"Hmm… how do you suppose we should do this?"

"Dude… come on! There are four of us and two of them! Do the math!" Kiba sighed.

"So, what, you want to room with Suigetsu then?"

"Huh? Why not you?"

"Why would I?"

"Why not Sasuke then?"

"Because he doesn't like Suigetsu."

"I guess it's fine…" he muttered.

"Alright, so you share a room with the guy, I'll room with the teme, and Sakura will room with the banshee rogue."

"No way am I sharing with Sakura, that pet of hers is out to get me." She glared at Naruto. "And who are you calling a banshee?"

"Well, we can't exactly have Sakura share a room with one of us guys…" Kiba said.

"I don't mind!" Suigetsu was ignored.

"I don't think she'll like the idea either." Naruto said.

"Maybe we can have her stay in the same room as Sasuke?"

"No way!" Karin yelled.

"…It's too expensive to have solo rooms. You either share a room with her or she stays with teme."

They heard a couple of barking, and turned to see Shu and Suh chase after each other as they entered the hotel of Brasilis. Sasuke and Sakura came after the two, one was very red in the face while the other looked as impassive as always.

"So, you two mind sharing a room or would Sakura want to be roomies with Karin?" Kiba asked.

"Hn." Sasuke shrugged, indicating that he was fine with whatever.

"…Uh…" Sakura fidgeted. After what Sasuke said a while ago, she wasn't sure if she was okay with the idea of being in the same room as him. Not to mention what happened in Nifleheim was still a bit fresh in her mind, but she didn't like the thought of being Karin's roommate either.

"It's just for one night you know…" Kiba muttered, growing impatient.

"I… guess I…" she looked at a glaring Karin, and then at Suh who was growling at the Rogue. "I wouldn't want Suh to end up attacking her, so…" she glanced at Sasuke who was also waiting for her answer.

He nodded once and looked at Naruto who grinned and tossed him a key. "Alright then! Suigetsu stays with Karin since you both know each other longer than any of us!"

"WHAT?"

And the whole time they asked for clues and information about the missing people, Suigetsu and Karin were bickering like an old couple.

"Geez… these two…" Kiba groaned "…Are the exact opposites of those two."

Naruto glanced at his two childhood friends and chuckled. "But their minds are probably as noisy as Suigetsu and Karin's."

"Talk about a lot of tension there – mostly on Sakura's part."

"What do you expect? The teme's an Assassin! He can remain indifferent in any kind of situation."

"Yeah but… Nika sure isn't like that, and Yoriko at least smiles from time to time, even Kosui."

"You've seen Kosui smile?"

"Once."

"He was with Yoriko, huh?"

"Yep." He grinned. "You don't suppose those two…"

Naruto turned to Sasuke who sighed and scratched the back of his head. "They're dating, dobe."

"Confirmed."

"I figured it was you."

The group stopped to turn to a silver-haired Gunslinger who halted in his steps when he got closer to the sole Assassin of Siege Breakers, behind him was a short Swordsman who nearly tripped when her companion had remained stationary all of a sudden.

Sasuke smirked lightly and met the Gunslinger's fist in greeting. "Long time no see, Zero."

The aloof-looking Gunslinger had given a small grin in return, though it was barely visible, which made the others compare him to their friend.

"I see Yuki's still a Swordie."

"It's not my fault this guy is lazy!" She pouted and glared at Zero. "I could have asked my brother-"

"Anyway," Zero cut in, refusing to let the girl continue. "She just needs a little more experience and she can become a Knight."

"And then you can both get married?" He raised a brow in amusement at Yuki's blush and Zero's deadpan face.

"I'll starve." Zero mumbled.

"W-Who says I want to be tied down to you?"

Sasuke just shook his head and glanced at the sky. "Heading back then?"

"Yeah, while the sun's still up." Zero turned to his friend's companions, his eyes lingering on Sakura. "And I see you haven't made progress."

"Like you." Sasuke countered. "But I shouldn't be keeping you two, and we have an investigation to deal with."

"Missing men, huh?" Zero nodded once to Sasuke's confirmation. "Just be careful, there _is _a reason why only the men vanish without a trace, and why most of the victims have either lovers or wives."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. "Don't tell me it's related to the town's myth."

"It is." He walked pass Sasuke. "Talk to the locals for a bit of warning, and more information." He stopped and turned back to Sasuke slightly just as Yuki caught up to him. "And keep your eyes open and ears covered."

With that said, the pair walked off, Yuki waving goodbye to Sasuke and then to the rest before falling in step with Zero.

"What was that all about..?" Kiba asked.

"So that was your Gunslinger friend…" Sakura mumbled, recalling Sasuke mentioning Zero once when questioned about the many pets he had.

"As he said, let's go gather as much information as we can." Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Zero normally doesn't care about other people's business unless it poses a danger, and from his words," his eyes shifted to the side as his brows furrowed a bit. "There's something we, as guys, have to be careful about."

"So we're pretty much doomed in this mission." Suigetsu sighed. "And what was that about ears covered and eyes opened?"

Naruto frowned. "I didn't get it either, I mean… sure we can keep our eyes open, but to cover our ears if we come across a battle…"

Sasuke pondered at the thought, wondering what Zero could have meant. It couldn't have been taken literally, but how else could covering one's ears mean but just… that? He can get the idea of keeping his eyes opened by not letting anything deceive him, but to cover his ears…

"_What could be out there that would make him warn as that much?"_ He tried to recall some myths he's heard from the Guild Master in the past whenever they went on missions, and all he could remember of Brasilis was how something was luring the men away from their homes.

"Hey teme-"

"God damn it." He cursed and made a left turn to head back to the port, causing the others to look puzzled at his sudden outburst.

"What's with him?" Kiba asked with a raised brow as the group stared off at their ally's back.

"Whatever got him riled up isn't good." Naruto lowered his gaze to the ground. "When something's up and bothers Sasuke, I sometimes fear what's to come."

And Sakura couldn't have agreed more – her first hand experience with Sasuke's reaction in Niffleheim was something she could not forget, and even back when they were young, to have both Kakashi and Sasuke lose the cool façade they carry usually means something isn't right.

"_Merciful Father, watch over us."_

* * *

"Zero! Oi, Zero!"

The silver-haired Gunslinger stopped and turned a bit upon recognizing Sasuke's voice, and he quirked a brow at the approaching Assassin.

"Does this have anything to do with Iara?"

Sasuke's scowl deepened when Zero's violet eyes had turned grim.

"Iara…" the two men turned to the female Swordsman who also seemed affected. "Her voice is so sweet to the ears of travelling men and even little boys that when she sings…" she trailed off and shook her head, Sasuke noting how Yuki had grasped Zero's arm. "Her beauty can easily lure unsuspecting adventurers," she lifts her gaze to Sasuke just as the other members of Siege Breakers finally caught up. "Even the ones who have been trained to seal off their emotions when on a mission…"

"Just be careful." Zero warned. "Had Yuki not pulled me away…"

"Zero."

He stopped his words and lightly patted the shorter girl's head in assurance. "I know you've been trained well by the Assassin Guild, but don't forget that you are still a human being, a man no less."

"As much as I'd want to avoid going there, this mission is absolute."

"From the King himself, huh?"

"Aa."

Zero sighed at this and closed his eyes for a few moments. "Alright, you're going to need these girls to be alert once Iara sings."

"And what do we do when that happens?" Karin asked, sounding much more serious and more concerned than usual.

"If you have it in you to actually nick these guys, or perhaps draw a bit of blood, then do so."

"…Wait, you mean there's no other way once they're under Iara's spell?"

"It's not as easy as you think, Rogue." Zero muttered. "Especially if you're dealing with a Gunslinger and Hunter who are ranged attackers." He glanced at Naruto. "That thick armor won't be easy to pierce through, and I'm already sure trying to even lay a scratch on Sasuke would be an impossible feat for any other class."

"Thankfully though," Yuki eyed Sakura. "You have a Priestess instead of a Priest. Her being immune to Iara just like yourself will be an advantage."

"Her debuff skills can easily bring you a big advantage." Zero continued. "But you'll both need to move fast."

Karin and Sakura nodded to their words, not even bothering to bicker about it this time around.

"At least you're a Rogue, you'll be able to keep your distance and attack at the same time. A Pneuma will be helpful against the bullets and arrows these two will send your way, and the Kyrie can keep Sasuke and the Crusader's attacks from doing much harm before you need to cast your skills again."

"Just try to… fight it." Yuki told the men. "It's going to be difficult to resist the temptation of Iara's singing and beauty."

"Not to mention she's a mermaid." Suigetsu mumbled while nudging Kiba who grinned.

"I'm serious!" Yuki stomped a foot down and glared at the two. "It will mean trouble once she gets you, all of you."

Zero sighed at the girl and pulled her back before she ends up wielding her sword at the two… well, perverts.

"Sasuke, I'm counting on you to take this seriously."

"Hn."

"That's all the help I can give you right now, if I was a girl though, I could offer my assistance, but me being of the same gender as most of you will only make me a burden."

"And I wish I can help too, but my brother barely allows me to stick with Zero."

"I understand, you've helped us enough." Sasuke nodded once to the two before the pair bid them a good luck and boarded the boat that was to return to Izlude.

"Well, what do we do now?" Naruto asked, now unsure if he should decide on things since it was a risky mission.

"There's nothing else we can do but just heed their warnings." Sasuke answered before turning to walk pass them and towards the forestry area of Brasilis. "But we're going to need to find that dungeon first."

"…I think I overheard a couple of kids say something about a ghost story."

"Kiba, that's not really what we're here for." Sakura muttered, not really liking the idea of ghosts.

"But they also mentioned that seeing the ghost may lead to another place! A place where no other person has gone!"

"Then I doubt that's where we should be since Zero and Yuki have already encountered Iara."

"Try asking them how to get there then."

Sasuke sighed at this and contacted Zero, asking the Gunslinger where they should head off to in order to solve the mystery behind the missing men.

"So about 'em mermaids…" Suigetsu muttered.

"Hot, definitely hot." Kiba nodded.

Sasuke sighed and turned to the others. "Zero says we can skip that ghost hunting bit by informing the guy at the museum what we're here for." He turned to Naruto. "You do have that letter from Sarutobi-sama, right?"

"Of course!" Naruto exclaimed while taking out the rolled paper from his bag. "But… you hold onto it."

"…"

"I'm kind of scared that I might do something wrong this time."

"Hn." Sasuke then took the lead towards the Art Museum, the others following closely behind.

"Dude!" Suigetsu yelled and wrapped an arm around Kiba's neck. "The Obeanue! Have you seen them in the Izlude dungeons?"

"Hell yeah!"

Suigetsu grinned at this. "Man! I could stare at them all day and not care if they're attacking me!"

"I know what you mean!" Kiba said in the same excited tone. "The way they push themselves up from the ground they're crawling on and do some sort of head bang, using their long hair to whip at us, shit man!"

"Ohoho… and how their breasts bounce like hell from their movements!"

Sakura and Karin twitched as the two continued to talk in graphic details about the Obeanue, with Naruto trying so hard not to listen, but his reddening cheeks says otherwise.

"Perverts…" Sakura grumbled.

"Pervs~" Suh barked.

"Shit man! I'm gonna end up with a hard on at this rate!" Suigetsu said out loud, causing Karin to punch the back of his head.

"Whoo! It sure is getting hot down-" Kiba never got to finish his sentence since Sakura kicked his butt, hard.

"What're your problems?" Suigetsu yelled at the two girls.

"Why can't you both be like Sasuke-kun or Naruto?" Karin retorted back, just as loud.

Sakura looks over at Naruto and twitches. "Karin, you sure about that?"

The Rogue turned to Sakura and then Naruto, crinkling her nose in disgust upon seeing the Crusader's nose bleeding.

This led to the two females to hit Naruto's head.

"Ow!"

"Hmph. Correction, why can't you idiotic perverts be like Sasuke-kun?"

This then led to the whole party to look at their silent companion, his face having a look of indifference.

Sakura sighs at this, though a part of her was a bit disappointed.

"Dude, seriously?" Kiba cried out. "You're unaffected?"

Sasuke blinked a couple of times before closing his eyes and turning his head to the side. "Hn."

"Like hell you aren't! Even a Sin like yourself can't be THAT calm about this!"

A deadpan expression was still on his face as he turned to the Hunter slightly. "…If you want to _fuck_ with a fish monster that has _no hole_, then by all means, go ahead."

"…"

They stare at him, at how nonchalant he was, and how he just delivered those words calmly…

"I don't find it pleasurable. At. All."

Sakura ends up fidgeting at the topic as Naruto mumbles how his best friend has a point.

"B-but… you do think about… groping them, right?"

He quirks a brow at Kiba.

"Y-Yeah! No hole but… talk about exquisite-sized jugs!"

Another blank stare met them.

"…Now that I think about it…" Naruto shudders. "Ew. Monsters and… ew. Just… ew."

Kiba and Suigetsu felt like their spirits were just crushed. "You guys suck."

Sasuke just sighs silently and left the two men to feel… saddened. It's not like he wasn't think about it either, not when they were talking about it loudly, and with such details too. Imagining Sakura as an Obeanue didn't help either, but with the way those two had talked about the monsters, he got pissed since it was like imagining them say such things about Sakura.

"So what about 'em tentacles?"

He twitched at Suigetsu's new chosen topic.

"Oooh… the Hydra?"

"Yeah! Imagine them attacking a girl!"

Sasuke felt his eyes starting to attempt to shift to red.

"In a skirt no less!" Suigetsu added to his previous statement.

"Oh… like a Priestess?"

Sakura noticed the two men look at her, and she flushed and placed her hands on her skirt, as if keeping it down. "P-PERVERTS!"

Suh growled at them as the two men continued looking at the pink-haired Priestess, their cheeks turning the same shade as her hair but the lewd grins on their faces was making Sakura uncomfortable.

"E-EEP! IT'S IN MY MIND NOW!" Naruto yelled, though he felt more ashamed than happy.

"N-Naruto..!" Sakura squeaked, her face turning a darker shade of red. "I-Idiot..! S-Stop…"

Sasuke felt like he was going to explode with how her voice sounded right now, not to mention that the other two idiots had talked about tentacles…

"_Fuck."_

"As much as I love seeing Sakura being… teased like this," Karin glared at the two men. "This is _really _uncomfortable for girls, I won't stand for this."

"A-Agreed..!" Sakura said, attempting to sound mad but the two still staring at her as if they were imagining slimy tentacles all over her body was making her feel vulnerable. Not even Suh trying to hide her with its body was helping.

"…Hawt." Kiba grinned.

"W-What..?" Sakura and Karin asked all of a sudden.

"Totally." Suigetsu whispered, now looking at the two girls who stuck to each other and felt… well, exposed. "Who do you think tops?"

"Oh my god you guys! Stop it now!" Naruto yelled, his face extremely red but his tone sounding embarrassed.

Seeing as nothing was helping them, both Sakura and Karin turn their hopeful gazes to Sasuke who had been silent the whole time.

"S-Sasuke..?" Sakura called out, eyes widening at him.

"Holy shit! Is your nose bleeding?" Karin yelled in panic.

The three guys looked from the two women to the lone Assassin, seeing Karin panicking and Sakura suddenly forgetting about the previous topic as she reached up to wipe some of the blood away, all the while performing her heal skill.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"S-Sasuke-kun, are you okay now?"

"Yeah, did you hit something?"

"…Lucky bastard." Suigetsu mumbled under his breath, but ended up smirking when the Assassin looked embarrassed as the girls fussed over his bleeding nose. "But I'm pretty sure he had a thought there."

"You think he's imagining Karin on top or Sakura over Karin?" Kiba asked with a wide grin.

Naruto ended up inching away from them when he spotted Karin stiffen and glare at their direction, Sakura still worrying over what had caused Sasuke's uncharacteristic… nose bleeding…

"YOU SICK BASTARD!"

The trio soon heard Kiba and Suigetsu yelling in pain after Karin was done with them.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He sighed and looked elsewhere, his cheeks still warm and slightly tinged with pink.

"If you're not feeling well, I can-"

"I'm fine." He said almost immediately, cursing when Sakura looked a bit hurt at his answer. "Sorry."

"N-No…" she shook her head, and he tried hard not to imagining her saying that in a weak voice while… yeah.

"I just…" he felt awkward all of a sudden as the guys in the back continued to bicker with Karin, Naruto doing his best to pacify them as they continued to head in deeper into the dungeons. "…Nevermind."

"You can tell me you know," she said in a worried tone. "Is it something bothering you?"

"…Hn." He avoided her gaze as he felt guilty for having such thoughts about her while she continued to worry about him and be so naïve about what he had been thinking about earlier.

"Is it something I can help with?"

"More than you kno-" he cut himself off as he realized his answer, his eyes widening at that and he blushed and looked at Sakura. "F-Forget what I said."

"Eh? But if it's something I can help you with then-"

"You can't!" He responded, causing the others to look at them as they were startled at him yelling. "…Just..." he sighed and ruffled the back of his head frustratingly. "…Look, don't… ch." He turned his back to her and walked a bit faster, Shu catching up to its master with Suh attempting to tackle him from behind.

"Sasuke..?"

He hated it when she sounded like that and said his name in that tone – it only made him think of things, made him recall what Kiba and Suigetsu talked about earlier.

"…It's nothing." He said in a much calmer voice. "Forget about it."

Even though she was curious, she knew when to stop, especially when he was looking like this, looking like he wanted to end the topic so badly and not say anything else anymore.

"Okay…"

He turns to her slightly, seeing how she looked a bit dejected that he swore under his breath and slowed down a bit so that he could fall in step with her.

"Sakura I just…" he found himself biting his lower lip. "Ch…"

"It's okay." She answers, slightly happy that he's trying. "Don't force yourself."

And the thoughts from before came haunting back. "…Shit."

The group continued to move in deeper into the dungeon, wondering why they have yet to come across monsters, or if they had, it was only a handful of Piranhas that they needed to worry about since the rest didn't bother them.

Of course, the Hydra caused Karin and Sakura to stay away from them as they attacked from a distance with their tentacles, leading to Naruto and Sasuke killing them as fast as possible before Kiba and Suigetsu could make a crack out of it.

Pretty soon, Shu had voiced out that they had already passed the same rock twice.

"…You sure about that?" Sakura asked Sasuke's pet, bending down slightly to peer at the baby Garm that yelped in response.

"Positive, I peed there."

"O-Oh…"

"Hn… this isn't good." Sasuke looked at their surroundings, the sound of water dripping and sloshing at their feet the only thing echoing across the rocky walls they were in. Not to mention how damp and slippery some of the rocks were that he had to assist Sakura to walk at times just to keep her from falling and getting wet – like last time.

Karin had had a few almost incidents, but thankfully, Naruto managed to react to it and help her out, getting what Sasuke was doing with the way he made sure Sakura didn't fall, not to mention at how Kiba and Suigetsu kept cursing each time the two caught the girls.

"What's bothering me is…" Naruto murmured. "We haven't heard anything that's… soothing to the ears."

"I'm starting to think if this is really where Iara is." Kiba grumbled.

"Shu, Suh, think you can sniff us a way?" Sasuke asked the two baby Garms as they barked in response and sniffed at the rocks and boulders, Suh whining when she picked up Shu's scent.

"Shu..! You made a wiwi!"

"I couldn't hold it in!"

The group followed the two pets as they sniffed and barked and walked, picking up the pace when they found a new scent that has yet to be touched by them or their human companions.

"Fresh dew…" Suh murmured and ran pass Shu, stopping as she picked up another scent in the air.

"Zero's…" Shu informed Sasuke. "And Yuki's too." It moved forward, following the scent of his master's friends no matter how faint they seemed. "Another scent…"

"…Scaly and… fishy."

"Could be… monster?"

Suh and Shu looked at each other before turning to their respective masters and running to them at full speed. Both Sasuke and Sakura instantly lifted their arms when the two pups jumped onto them, their whining making the two confused.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked the two in a soft and soothing voice, almost sounding like a mother to her kids.

"It's nasty…" Suh whined, pawing at her nose.

"The smell…" Shu whimpered, nuzzling his snout at Sasuke's scarf in hopes of ridding the stench they picked up.

"Iara…" Suigetsu mumbled, and soon looked around. "Uh… guys…"

The group followed his line of vision, and they all huddled their backs together upon realizing that they were in the middle of large rocks, and atop those stonewalls were a school of Iara, all crawling on their bellies as their tailfin swished from left to right, their arms helping them move to the edge to get a better look at the humans.

"…Mortals…" one had hissed out, though her voice was angelic. "Lost mortals…"

The look of delight on the Iara monsters made Sakura and Karin disgusted, though the guys were unmoving, fearing that something may happen that could leave all of them vulnerable and in danger.

"Hush now…" one began in a song as she crawled closer to them, eyes on Kiba's narrowed ones that soon softened when she continued to hum and woo him with her movements.

"Shit, Kiba!" Suigetsu called his name when the Hunter had moved a few steps forward and dropped his bow and arrows. The Gunslinger made a move to shoot the Iara that was moving closer to the brunette, but a sudden movement to his left caught him off-guard as an Iara came face to face with him, her soft smile and flawless skin making him gape in awe. "Hush now…" she whispered while lifting her webbed hands to his face and drawing him closer with her song.

"T-Teme…" Naruto panicked upon seeing both of their ranged party members captured by the spell of the Iara's. "Their song… it's getting to me…" he felt his grip on his sword loosen as another Iara came closer to him, peering up at him from her spot on the wet ground, her smoldering eyes making him feel weak in the knees.

"Don't be frightened…" she softly whispered and brought herself closer to the Crusader, hissing at Karin when the Rogue had used her whip at the Iara.

"Naruto! Snap out of it!" She said, and soon felt something hit her at the back, cursing when another Iara had jumped at her and snickered, her soft features turning to that of a menacing monster when dull teeth were replaced by sharp ones, looking like that of a shark's. "Meat..!"

"Karin!" Sakura sent her Holy Light attack to throw off the Iara, making the fish monster hiss at the assault as Karin scrambled back up to her feet and changed her weapon to throwing daggers. She sent the knives to the Iara to force her back as she regrouped with the others, cursing when Naruto was already lured.

"Sasuke, any ideas?"

Sakura turned from Karin to Sasuke, causing her eyes to widen when an Iara had gotten close to the Assassin who was actually in a battle stance, but not making any move to attack.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called out, an Iara jumping in her way to force her back to Karin's.

Shu and Suh continued to bark and snap their small jaws at the incoming Iara monsters, but they only laughed haughtily at their feeble attempts as their other sisters continued making their moves on the male Adventurers.

"Four new mates…" one had cooed after glancing at the guys, and then sneering at the two females. "Worry not dears, we will take care of them."

"Christ!" Karin looked from Suigetsu to Kiba, annoyed at how the two seemed to actually be enjoying the pampering that the Iara monsters are doing.

Iara were said to be beautiful mermaids that would sing and woo any male they encounter, promising eternal happiness and pleasure. However, as these creatures do not age, humans do, which is why they always look for new potential mates to replaced the aged ones they have captured in order to avoid a lonely immortal life.

Sakura glanced at Naruto, biting her lower lip when the Crusader was cornered on a rock's wall as his eyes looked half-lidded when a couple of Iara continued to sing. She dared to look towards Sasuke, fearing what she'll see, and she couldn't think straight when she saw him on his knees as an Iara had wrapped her arms around his neck while singing to his left ear, further drawing him in with her spell.

"…_No…"_ she could hear Karin calling out to the others. _"This isn't…"_ she shut her eyes as the two pups barked and growled at the Iara, preventing them from getting any closer to the two girls. _"…This isn't what you guys promised…"_

She remembered the days wherein she would panic when an aggressive monster came close to attacking her, yet Naruto and Sasuke always managed to arrive in the nick of time to finish it off, with or without Kakashi's assistance. She can recall how Naruto was grinning at her boyishly, proud that he had saved her. She remembers how Sasuke would turn away and huff when she thanks them, muttering how she should be careful.

"_You… both swore…"_

_She could never forget how the Pharaoh monster had come alive and attacked, almost killing her with one hit, but Kakashi was still trying to get to them by getting rid of the mob that had surrounded them. She thought she would die right there, but Naruto and Sasuke somehow stood before her kneeling form, the sword Naruto held was raised in a defensive position, while the daggers Sasuke had was ready for an attack._

"_Don't worry Sakura-chan!" Naruto said with a grin as he turned to her over his shoulder._

"_We'll protect you." Sasuke added without looking at her, but she never felt so safe after their words._

"_We promise." They both said before charging head on at the Pharaoh._

"Liar…"

The Iara closed in as some continued singing and lulling the men.

"…Liars…"

Naruto's smile and Sasuke's back were what kept her from giving up that time…

"…You guys are liars!"

Karin was alarmed when Sakura had suddenly brought her staff out and hit an Iara's head away before running towards Naruto who was nearer. "You are such a stupid idiot!" She yelled as she swatted the Iara away and punched Naruto's face, causing the blonde to snap from his dazed thoughts as he was met with a glaring Sakura.

"E-Eh?"

"Idiot!" She hit him with her staff and kicked another Iara away as she ran towards her other teammate, the one she actually grew feelings for. "I hate you guys so much right now!" She yelled and swiped her staff at the Iara that was holding the Assassin too close for comfort.

The moment the fish monster had fallen to the ground from the impact, Sakura pulled onto Sasuke's scarf from behind and tugged at it, the material tightening around his neck as his half-closed eyes widened all of a sudden and he coughed violently at the choking material.

"What the-" a slap met his face when he was about to turn to Sakura, and he looked back at her with surprised eyes that only widened some more when he saw tears falling down her cheeks. "Sakura..?"

She looked down at him, her tears making her vision blurry as she cried and then gave him another hit, the attack causing him to lose his balance as he fell back, her following since she still held onto his scarf. He grunted when she landed right in-between his legs and rammed onto his chest, yet he didn't worry about that because she was still crying.

"You liar..!" She cried and punched his shoulder. "I hate you so much right now! I hate you I hate you I hate you!"

He couldn't even begin to comprehend just what it is that's wrong with her, until Naruto's exclamation of "Grand Cross" reached his ears, and he took note of Kiba and Suigetsu shaking their heads and getting back up.

His mind began to catch up when his eyes saw that they were surrounded by Iara monsters, most if not all have already transformed into their vicious forms when the guys had awoken from their hypnotizing voices.

"Worry not my dear…"

He looked from the others to the Iara that had trapped him with her voice and looks, and seeing that she has yet to transform, he knew that she's still attempting to lure him away.

"I will keep you safe…" she sung to him, lifting a hand up to reach out to him. "…and away from the nightmares you fear…"

His eyes narrowed when he felt Sakura's grip on him tighten that he carefully pulled out a dagger from the holster attached to his right hip and threw it at the Iara's shoulder, causing it to hiss and transform into her monstrous form.

"The only nightmare I'm having is facing you." He seethed, his other hand pulling Sakura to him as he lowered his head a bit to speak to her in a softer tone. "Don't worry," he could feel his eyes shift to red when the Iara jumped at them. "I'll protect you."

And he used his left arm to extract the blade of his left katar and behead the Iara, its head landing on the water and making a huge splash while its blood caused the other Iara monsters to scream and wildly attack them.

"Now this is much easier!" Kiba grinned since they didn't need to worry about being lured again.

As the group countered and finished off some of the Iara, Sasuke let out a heavy sigh as he felt the side of his head start to ache. He lowered his gaze to Sakura who was still holding onto him, tears still falling down as she continued shaking. Though she was silent, he still knew she was feeling vulnerable.

"Sakura," he held her shoulders and pushed her away a bit, but her grip tightened and she refused to let him loosen her grip. "Hey, I'm fine now."

Her head shook from left to right repeatedly, whimpering when he tried to get her off again.

"Daddy!"

He looked up just as Shu tackled down an Iara that almost got to them, Suh taking down another that had tried to sink her teeth onto their flesh.

"Sakura, come _on_." He told her. "We're in the middle of a fight."

"I'm scared…"

"…"

He wasn't sure how he understood, but somehow, he recalled what she said to him before about seeing his back, about the day he was walking away to train to become an Assassin.

"I'm sorry." He said in a much softer voice. "But I'm not leaving you, okay?" He carefully pushed her away, and she eventually let him, hesitant in lifting her gaze to meet his when she felt his bangs tickle her forehead. Her eyes widened when he leaned closer to her, his nose touching hers as he closed his eyes-

"I promise."

-and softly pressed his lips on hers.

"Guys! Fight now and make out later!" Kiba told them as he shot an arrow at one Iara that leapt from a rock and targeted the couple.

Sasuke had let out a soft sigh and a small smirk when he pulled back and saw Sakura's blush and wide eyes.

"Can I go now?"

She just nodded dumbly as he stood and shifted his eyes to red, proceeding to attack and eliminate the remaining Iara.

Sakura just knelt there, still unable to react properly after what just happened. Unlike in Niffleheim, the kiss she just shared with Sasuke a while ago was much more… _real_.

"Sakura, snap out of it!" Karin yelled. "I know that kiss was amazing and all but now isn't the time to be dazed about it!"

She did snap – mainly because she wondered why Karin _knew_ how amazing it was.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

Let's just say hell happened…

* * *

"Time to celebrate!" Suigetsu yelled when the townspeople had immediately thrown a party for the group after some of the missing men had returned to their loved ones.

Of course, it was unfortunate that there were those who did not make it for being missing in such a long time, their families were still grateful that the team had tried, so the mayor held both a memorial and celebration.

Kiba and Suigetsu welcomed the single ladies that had immediately huddled around them to listen to their stories while Naruto was preoccupied in telling the tale to some of the men who wanted to hear the "epic adventure" as the kids said. Karin denied it, but she reveled in the flock of young men who paid a lot of attention to her. Shu and Suh ate to their hearts' content with Sasuke keeping a close eye on them in case they overeat, at the same time, politely declining the dance offers he was getting from some of the women.

The others were just too busy to notice that one of their party members had gone missing, and Sasuke wanted to hit them for that. He couldn't bring himself to get up and look for her because for one thing, he was keeping a close watch on the two pups, and for another, the crowd was thick – he could barely even move a muscle from his spot. But his main reason is –

"Damn it…"

–He wasn't sure how he could explain his actions from earlier.

"Best part of it though was my two friends sharing a kiss!"

He twitched when everyone had turned their attention to him after Naruto's declaration, and he wanted to disappear right there when the people had pestered him for more details.

"Go on teme! Tell them!"

He glared at Naruto who was way too happy to care at his menacing look.

"Yeah man! You two were so into it that I had to call your attention before those things killed you!" Kiba added with a large grin of his own, Suigetsu whooping in the background. And though Karin didn't like the topic, she seemed interested to hear about it too.

"…Assholes." He uttered under his breath.

* * *

The warm wind here was different than most of the breeze she's had a taste of from venturing to one town after another. Brasilis' had a welcoming feel to it, whereas Prontera made the place homier, so she wasn't sure which town she liked the most, and wasn't about to make a decision until she has gone to the other places like Amatsu or even Lighthalzen.

"Geez… I can't bring myself to enjoy this place as much as I thought…"

"Mommy!"

She turned to see Suh and Shu jump on either side of her on the bench, smiling as they cuddled next to her and reminded her of cats instead. They even sounded like they purred when they nuzzled against her and felt content.

"When did you both start calling me that anyway?" She asked with a light laugh.

"Since you got Suh." Shu barked in response, letting his eyes close when a yawn came from him. Suh rolled over until she lay on her side and let her head rest on Sakura's lap.

"Well, it's going to be a bit… awkward being called that when you're calling Sasuke 'daddy,' you know?"

They just whined but did not bother to open their eyes.

"Geez, these two."

Sakura looked up to see the last person she wanted to talk to right now, and from how annoyed he was, she figured he had been searching for the two pups, or he had been pestered so much by the people of Brasilis, if not the women.

Of course, the last thought made her frown, but she chose not to voice it out or question him about it. After all, it wasn't like he was hers, right?

"Had enough kissing them?"

But she couldn't help it after having been kissed by him – _twice_.

"What?" He furrowed his brows in confusion.

She stroked the two pups, not minding their ice-cold bodies since it was warm in the town they were in despite it being night time already.

"They must have enjoyed it, after all, Karin _did_ say it was amazing."

"…Huh?"

She twitched and glared at the Assassin who looked a whole lot more confused than ever. Had it been another conversation, she would have found his expression cute.

"She somehow knew how amazing you can kiss."

He blinked, and then suddenly twitched. "Ew, just… wait, you thought I kissed Karin?"

"Didn't you?"

He looked aghast that she even thought of that. "Okay, one – I've never even kissed any other girl before you, nor after you."

The way he said it made her feel as if they're in an intimate relationship, but the "after you" made it seem like they were in the past.

…

…then again, this _is_ Sasuke. An Assassin no less.

"Two, if I had, why, of all girls, Karin?" He twitched again. "Seriously, you could have at least assumed it would be Nika or Yoriko."

"Have you then?" She glared.

"I just said I haven't kissed- hold on, you're getting mad at me _why_?"

"…You kissed me twice already!"

"…Besides that." He crossed his arms. "I did that in Niffleheim to get you out of there because I know you won't leave even if I tell you to."

"And earlier?" She seethed.

"I did that because-" he found himself unable to come up with an answer or a logical reason. Spur of the moment? On a whim? No, he knew he'd only anger her if he said that.

"Because..?" She pressed on, not liking how he stopped.

Why couldn't he answer? Deep down, he somehow knew why – the way she looked so scared that time made him want to hold her and kiss her, made him want to just… be with her.

"_I can't." _He told himself. _"At least not yet, not right now."_ He sighed silently and lowered his arms before taking a few steps closer to her, his arms on either side of her to keep her there – trapped, cornered… right where he felt he was in his element.

When she looked surprised at what he did, he felt more confident.

"…I wanted to." He said instead. "That's enough of a reason."

She wanted to ask more from him, but as he said, it was pretty much enough – at least for the time being. Sakura was a bit glad that he hadn't kissed random girls in the past or present, at least he told her she was the only one he had shared a kiss with – twice too.

"…I… may as well since we're kind of in the topic…" she mumbled and looked down. "Earlier, I couldn't get or understand what the guys meant about Karin and me, but now…"

Sasuke inwardly cursed. Despite their current positions, he felt like she had cornered him even though it was the other way around.

"W-Who…" she stammered and felt her cheeks grow warm as they reddened. "Which of us did you… think… was… is…" her voice got softer after each word. "…on… top..?"

"…"

"…"

"…Hn." He closed his eyes for a few moments and let out a smirk when he met her curious gaze. "Neither of you."

"H-Huh..?"

He dared to lean a bit closer, moving to her left ear instead as he felt her shudder when he breathed on it lightly. The temptation to actually nip her earlobe grew, but eh fought it. "I was actually imagining me on you."

"W-Wh… wha…"

"Heh." He sensed the danger, but he worked in the darkness, so the warnings that were there only lured him some more. "Although…"

She clenched her fists.

"You on top of me would be nice." He breathed, not letting her react just yet as he continued. "The view would be way better."

"Y-You pervert!"

He immediately held down her wrists when she attempted to push him, and he met her gaze with a smirk. Her face was extremely red by this time, obviously a hint that she's just too innocent.

"You'll like it though," he gave a shrewd grin, and she blushed some more. "Most girls prefer being on top – more simulation…" he leaned closer to her as she shut her eyes when he whispered: "Deeper penetration."

"S-Shut up…"

"You can even hold your own pace…" he slowly lowered her hands to her sides and leaned closer to her. "You can be in control."

"S-Sasuke s-stop… stop this!" She stammered, feeling really uncomfortable in a lot of ways. "I… I don't… I'm a Priestess for God's sake!"

He smirked some more as she hesitantly met his gaze. "Exactly." He continued to tease her some more when he leaned to her ear and made her shut her eyes. "I want you to _know_…" he let one of his hands gently trace her arm until they reached the back of her neck and head, the action making her involuntarily lean her head to the side as he lowered to her neck, close enough for her to feel his breath, but not actually touching. "I want you to _think _of these thoughts…"

Her fingers clenched tightly as she bit her lower lip, her mind conjuring up images and scenes – of him… and her.

"I want you to think of _me_," he whispered. "Only me," he could tell how she wanted him to do something, anything to ease her tension. "When your mind becomes sinful, when you have such impure thoughts..."

Her half-lidded eyes were clouded over with something as he pulled back and met her gaze, his smirk long gone as he looked at her green irises.

"…It will only be of me."

And just like that, she was seduced – she had let a bit of darkness enter into the light, until it completely took over.

* * *

The night was a lot more pleasant than previous ones. Somehow, it would have been a good thing if only the culprits who want Sarutobi dead are behind bars, or at least already dead.

Violet eyes looked from left to right as a pair of feet continued to hop from one roof to another. She spotted a friend of hers and followed his line of vision upon noticing how amused her looked.

"Spying again on your secret beloved?" She asked upon landing behind his seated form on a roof.

"Heh, don't act so surprised." He told her without turning away from the pink-haired Priestess who was tossing and turning in her sleep.

A shake of the head answered him before she looked at Sakura's facial expression. Her brows were knitted together, and she seemed to be covered in a thin coat of sweat too. The way her right arm hugged herself while her left was lowered _somewhere_ made her raise a brow. She also took not of the fact that Sakura's knees were tightly locked onto the other – as if protecting her…

"Sasuke…" she eyed the smirking Assassin. "…What did you do?"

He shut his eyes as his smirk grew. "It's nothing, Nika."

She threw him a suspicious look, and then gave a sweet smile. "Permission to kick you, _taichou_?"

"Permission _denied_."

"Then I'll disobey this time." She pulled back her right leg and delivered a kick, only hitting air as Sasuke had swiftly moved to her side.

"Hn. You can't disobey me if you can't kick me."

"_Hn._" She mimicked with a roll of her eyes and then turned back to Sakura. "Seriously though."

Sasuke just shrugged and continued eyeing how Sakura was so bothered. "I guess I'll have to go to confession for the first time tomorrow."

"…You _didn't_."

"Not _yet_."

Nika had to try hitting him again – especially when she read what Sakura's mouthed in her sleep.

* * *

_**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **Gaaaahhh... I couldn't help myself from all the teasing and tension~_

**Apathetic Silence: **No more tea for you... 


End file.
